Because Being Together is Enough
by Winekita
Summary: Kurt Wagner has come to terms with his mother being Mystique. But now his father is starting to show interest in his life, and Xavier is not too thrilled at who it's turned out to be. T for violence and cursing (mostly by Wolverine). On Hiatus until further notice.
1. One: Lost

**_OMIGOSH I'M POSTING SOMETHING THAT ISN'T HEROES OF OLYMPUS! SOUND THE ALARMS!_**

 ** _So, here's a reason why I haven't been updating as much lately. This isn't the sole reason, but it has taken up a chunk of my writing time. I've been focused on writing this for a bit, for some reason. DON'T WORRY! I'll be back with Heroes of Olympus very soon, as Leo is still inspiring me, but I'm far enough into this story that I want to post the first chapter._**

 ** _I'm also a little nervous, since I've never written an X-Men Evo fic. That, and this one is pretty different with the characterization of Azazel._**

 ** _Fair warning: Azazel is OOC from the comics. Like, extremely._**

 ** _I like the look of First Class's Azazel, so imagine him when you read this. And I want to point out that even though in every single scenario of actual canon-world (movie, comics, TV, etc.) Mystique and Azazel would probably be the worst parents in the world…I have this shining star of stupidity that refuses to let me fully believe that. I just…I need one universe to let Kurt have a happy immediate family. Since Evo had a semi-regretful Mystique (as opposed to every other universe where she blatantly tries to kill or harm him, regardless of him knowing she's his mother), I went with that. That, and I have no clue how they're going to bring in Kurt's past in the movie-verse, since it's still in the air._**

 ** _I seem to have a thing for Azazel being a reserved, yet sort-of good daddy to Kurt. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't a saint before Kurt was born…but I feel like it would soften him a little._**

 ** _Also, Azazel is not a demon/mutant from biblical times, here. He's just a normal mutant from Mother Russia. Oh, and my headcanon to explain his mutation: although he had only gotten a tail at birth, the red skin and teleportation powers came later._**

 ** _This fic will involve Kurmanda, not Kurtty (though I have no problems with that ship at all)._**

 ** _I do not claim to know more than basic German or more than two words in Russian, so if I say something in either language and it's wrong, don't hesitate to say so. I'll gladly fix the problem._**

 ** _One last note: Kurt's accent is still kinda present. Words beginning with 'w' will be pronounced with a 'v'. HOWEVER, words like 'who' shall stay the same, as the 'w' is nearly silent and putting a 'v' there would look and sound weird. Please keep that in mind as you read his speaking parts._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 _ **Chapter One: Lost**_

"Kurt? You up there?"

Kurt Wagner yawned, stretching his limbs as he stood up from his position on the roof of the Xavier Mansion. The sun was just clear of the trees surrounding the grounds.

" _Ja_ , I am here," he said groggily.

A face popped up from just below the roof's edge. It was his friend, Kitty Pryde. She looked annoyed. "What are you doing sleeping up here? You, like, missed breakfast—which you _never_ do!"

Kurt shrugged. "I dunno," he confessed. "I fell asleep up here last night. Guess I missed my alarm."

Kitty narrowed her eyes at him, as if she thought he was hiding something. Honestly, he wasn't. Kurt had woken up in the middle of the night (as he sometimes did) and felt like he needed to do some stretches. He'd teleported to the roof, done a few small exercises, and curled up right there, hoping to wake up when the sun rose.

"Sorry," Kurt apologized. "I'll be down in a minute."

Kitty wrinkled her nose, catching a smell on the slight breeze flowing over the roof. "Ugh," she complained, holding her nose. "Did you, like, roll in a sty last night? You reek!"

Kurt blushed, thanking God it was hidden behind his fur. "I did a few exercises last night."

"Well, could you, like, put on some deodorant before you grace us with your presence?"

Kurt shrugged and teleported into his room. Normally, he'd take a long time to shower and an even longer time to dry, normally because of all the fur care. Today, since it was Saturday, he'd just take it in the evening and go through the day with a spray of cologne and a quick brush-down (just to get the dried sweat out).

When he finally teleported down to the kitchen, there was almost no food left. Kurt shrugged and just ate the rest of it, since no one else was in the kitchen except him and Miss Munroe.

"Good morning, Kurt," Storm greeted as she started collecting the dirty dishes left by the younger students. "Running a little late today, hmm?"

" _Ach_ , it's Saturday," Kurt said with his mouth full of eggs. "I think I can afford to sleep in a little later, _ja_?"

Storm smiled. "If you aren't feeling terrible, I see no reason to break tradition once in a while." She put some of the dishes in the dishwasher. "Just as long as you don't miss Logan's training session in ten minutes."

Kurt's eyes widened in alarm. "That vas today!?" He wolfed down the rest of his food within seconds. "Vhy didn't Keety tell me vhen she voke me up?" In seconds, he teleported over to the sink, placed the plates gingerly in the water—because splashing Storm was a bad idea and rude—and 'ported to his room to put his uniform on.

* * *

Two minutes later, Kurt was still the last one to show up in the yard. Logan nodded to him. "Glad you could join us, Elf."

Kurt's ears drooped a bit as a few students snickered.

Logan ignored them and pointed to the woods. "Today's class is all about stealth. Yer mission is to last one hour in the woods without me findin' ya."

"So it's like hide and seek?" Bobby asked.

Logan gave a wolfish grin. Everyone shuddered in fear. "Yeah. Like that. Only if I find ya, you'll be 'dead'. I mark you with this—" He held up a paintball gun. "—and you meet me back here for an intense workout."

Everyone groaned, already starting to draw up plans in their heads. Kurt had an idea to teleport around the woods a few times, then stop at the edge of the trees and wait for Logan to stomp around below him near the end. The sulfur would probably send the older mutant on a wild goose chase. Probably.

Logan signaled the start of the session, saying he'd give everyone five minutes to get away before he started the hunt.

Kurt 'ported to the trees, ending up in one just beyond the line, and waited, his tail swishing lazily. Kitty looked at him like he was crazy. "Seriously, Kurt? You know he's gonna find you, right?"

Kurt grinned. "I know."

Five minutes later, Kurt saw Logan making a bee-line right for him. "Elf, really? Not even gonna try?"

"Perhaps if you try to hit me, _Herr_ Logan…"

Logan cocked his gun. "You asked for it, blue boy."

Kurt began a series of 'ports around Logan, confusing the man with bursts of sulfur and flashes of light. Logan snarled and started shooting. Soon, Kurt 'ported about a mile into the woods. He could see birds fly into the sky from where Logan howled in annoyance. Even from so far away, Kurt could hear him yell, " _Nightcrawler_!"

Kurt smirked and 'ported to other spots, nearly running into a student here and there. Ray actually yelped when the furred mutant appeared on a branch above him. He covered his mouth, realizing his mistake, but Kurt gave him a thumbs-up in a _'he's nowhere near here'_ signal before disappearing again.

When he made it to the opposite end of the woods on Xavier's property, Kurt stopped to take a breather. His hanging tail was the only indication of anyone being in that particular tree. He didn't worry about it too much, considering it would take a good minute for Logan to reach this area.

Kurt watched the scenery before him with narrowed eyes. Birds flew around the area, various animals trotted through, and a slight breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees surrounding Kurt.

Suddenly, Kurt heard a sound. He looked around, wondering where it was coming from. It sounded kind of like a scream, but nothing like the screams of the students running from Logan. Kurt teleported a few yards, determined the direction of the screams, and kept 'porting in the same direction.

He ended up at the starting area. Ray, Jamie, Bobby, and Kitty were already there, covered in paint. They were all trotting towards the cliffs, looks of worry on their faces. Kurt 'ported to the cliffs and looked down.

A couple of girls were dangling dangerously on the cliff wall near the raging waves. Kurt recognized them as new students, one that could breathe fire and one that could super jump.

"Help," Super-jump-girl (Kurt thought her name was Marie?) yelled. "We're stuck!"

Kurt started climbing down, using his wall-crawling ability to reach them. "How did you end up like this?" he called to them.

Abigail, the fire-breather, was shaking and looking at the water in fear. "Marie and I were playing soccer and we…I fell."

"Couldn't Marie jump back up here with you?" Kurt asked.

"Not if there's not enough room," the jumper protested. "I tried, but that only made our little ledge smaller!"

Kurt nodded. "Okay, okay. I've got you. One at a time, though, sorry."

He grabbed Marie first, 'porting her safely to the group already gathering up on the cliffs. It was easy enough, and Kurt was not thinking it would be harder than this.

Then he tried to grab Abigail. The girl flailed, accidentally spitting fire when Kurt suddenly 'ported in front of her. The fire startled Kurt, hitting him in the chest. It knocked the wind out of him, and he accidentally fell back, dragging Abigail with him. They hit the water hard before Kurt could get his thoughts together. Kurt sank and hit his head on one of the bigger rocks, and Abigail was flung sideways, flailing and thrashing in the water. Abigail kept trying to swim, disoriented and freaking out. Kurt was taken by the current, unconscious.

* * *

Thankfully, Kitty had gone back towards the woods to get Logan, who had found everyone except Kurt—and was very annoyed with that fact.

"Whadd'ya mean the elf's in the ocean?" Logan growled. "What the heck's he doin' there?"

"He was helping the new girls get to safety," Kitty explained as they ran for the cliffs. "Abigail freaked out and they ended up in the water!"

Logan dove into the water without looking to see where the two students were. He hit the water pretty hard, but quickly got over it as he swam towards the panicking Abigail. He grabbed her and brought her to the surface.

"Where's Kurt?" he sputtered.

Abigail gasped for air. "I don't know," she yelled. "He sank!"

Logan swam as fast as he could to shore, dumping Abigail there and telling her to wait for Scott to reach her. Cyclops was picking his way down the slope as fast as he could.

Logan dove under again, slicing through the waves, looking for any sign of Kurt. The bad thing was that the elf was blue and blended into the shadows. And the water was still dark because of the rising sun's shadows from the cliffs, so it made it extra hard to find him.

Logan came up for air and spun around. "Kurt!" he called. "Where are you?"

Kitty and Rogue scanned the water, ready to alert Jean if they saw Kurt pop up. The minutes dragged on and on, and nerves ran high as Logan kept coming up and going under with no success. Jamie and his doubles searched the grounds in case the blue boy had teleported out.

By the time Logan came back to shore, exhausted, an hour later…everyone assumed the worst.

* * *

Meanwhile, about three miles down the coast, a wet furball washed up onto the shore. Kurt groaned and tried to haul himself further up the sand, but his head pounded so hard he flopped back down. The waves were shallow enough to not drown him, gently making his hair float around him.

His ears pricked at the sound of footsteps in the sand. A pair of shiny, black Oxford shoes came into his view. Kurt tried to look up, but didn't get past the person's legs.

A long, red devil's tail swished lazily behind the person. Kurt's eyes widened, watching it curiously.

Kurt began to see black spots. He closed his eyes, trying to make the world stop spinning.

He felt a hand on his head, gently running its long fingers through his hair. It paused at the back of his head, where Kurt's pain had reached a climax.

" _Syn_ ," said a deep, growling voice.

Darkness swallowed Kurt whole, and he barely registered being picked up by strong, yet gentle, arms.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So? What do you guys think? Interesting enough to get me into the X-Men Evo writers club? I hope I'm doing it justice!**_

 _ **Abigail and Marie are OCs of mine, but are not too important. If you guys use those two, I don't care. They're filler only.**_

 _ **Also, I know it kinda went by a little fast at the beginning there. Not as fast as some other stories I write, but I did try to drag it out a little.**_


	2. Two: Found

_**Second chapter! Yay!**_

 _ **Here's where you're gonna see the OOC Azazel. I hope you enjoy Daddy Azazel~!**_

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 _ **Chapter Two: Found**_

Kurt woke up with a screaming headache. He reached up and felt bandages wrapping his head, as well as a wet rag on his forehead.

He groggily opened his eyes. His vision was blurry and the room around him swayed. He tried to sit up, but groaned when stars danced in his eyes. His head throbbed in agony. He laid back down and closed his eyes again.

A _BAMF_ resounded in the room. _Did I teleport?_ Kurt opened his eyes again, blinking away the blurs, and flinched.

A man was now standing in the room, dressed in a black suit and red tie. His black hair was slicked back against his skull. The thing that really got Kurt's attention was his blood red skin and lashing tail. He was like a red version of Kurt, except older and with ice-blue eyes and a scarred face.

The man was holding a bucket of hot water and had a towel draped over one of his arms. He looked at Kurt with an emotionless frown. "Ah, you are up."

"W-who…?"

The man held up a finger. " _Nyet_ , little one. Do not speak. You need rest."

He took the towel, soaking it in the water, and started stroking Kurt's chest fur. That was when Kurt noticed he wasn't wearing his uniform—just a pair of boxers!

"Vhere are my clothes?" Kurt protested, trying to bat the man away.

The red man's tail lashed in annoyance. "Why would I let you lie in wet clothes? You would catch cold. Your uniform is there." He pointed to a chair in the corner of the room. Kurt's X-Men uniform was draped over the back. "Now sit still. You need a bath."

Kurt sniffed and realized he stank to high heaven. The man was just trying to wipe the dirt and dried salt off of his fur. The young mutant relaxed and allowed the man to continue what he had been doing.

"Who are you?" Kurt asked.

"Azazel," he answered. "And you?"

"Kurt Vagner."

"German?"

" _Ja_. You are…Russian, _ja_?"

" _Da_. Accent give it away?"

"A little."

The man gave a tiny smirk, which made his long scar ripple. "You have one, too, boy."

Kurt grinned. Then, he yawned, revealing his sharp fangs.

Azazel cocked an eyebrow. "Tired, little one? It is to be expected." He patted Kurt's chest gently. "Rest. I will deliver you safely home."

"Do you know vhere I live?"

Azazel frowned. "Not until you tell me."

So Kurt told him he was from the Xavier Institute. Azazel hesitated, but nodded after a moment.

"Rest, little one," the man said. "You will be better soon."

Kurt nodded. For some reason, he trusted this man. He was a stranger, a strong mutant, and pretty scary-looking. _But_ , Kurt thought, _am I not a strong, scary-looking mutant? Perhaps he is as misunderstood as I am…_

Kurt fell asleep with that in mind, hoping he wouldn't wake up in an evil lair or chained to a table.

Azazel pulled a syringe out of his pocket as Kurt dove deeper into dreamland. He stabbed it into the boy's arm. Kurt groaned a little, but didn't wake as the heavy sedative delved into his bloodstream.

The man swept a stray lock away from Kurt's face. "Sleep well, _syn_."

* * *

Kitty Pryde was at a loss. The entire mansion was out looking for Nightcrawler. They had been for forty-eight hours. They'd checked the coast, the woods, the school, and every _nook and cranny_ of the institute. But still no Wagner.

Logan couldn't get a scent. Jean couldn't track him. The Professor couldn't find him on Cerebro—which meant Kurt wasn't using his powers at all. Kitty and Rogue kept watching the news to make sure there wasn't a story on a blue demon running rampant.

Right now, Kitty was picking at her food, depressed. Without Kurt, the room seemed darker. Everyone seemed to be deflated by the lack of a blue, fuzzy elf bouncing around the room. Even Bobby seemed down, and usually he was all for playing a good prank to lighten moods.

Storm walked into the kitchen. Kitty looked up in case she'd…Storm shook her head.

Kitty sighed and continued staring at her food. Kurt was her best friend. She didn't want to believe that he'd disappear so easily. He didn't deserve a fate like that—he was too young and too good…

 ** _DING DONG_**

Everyone looked up at the sound of the doorbell. Kitty rose. "I'll get it."

She needed a distraction. Something to take her mind off of Kurt. Kitty trotted down the hall and reached the front doors of the mansion. She looked through the peep hole to see who it was, but no one was in view. She phased her head through the door and looked around. No one was there.

Then she looked down.

She gasped and phased all the way through the door. "Kurt!"

Indeed, Kurt Wagner was curled up on the stoop, with bandages wrapped around his head. He was dressed in large, loose clothes, his uniform folded neatly to the side. A note was stuck to the uniform.

" ** _Had tough enough time taking uniform off. Easier to give him normal clothes. He had concussion. Gave sedatives for travel. Better now. –A_** _"_

Kitty shook Kurt's shoulders. "C'mon, Fuzzy. Wake up."

Kurt mumbled in his sleep, but didn't wake up. His tail twitched, as did one of his fingers. Kitty smiled.

" _Professor,"_ Kitty yelled telepathically. _"I found Kurt!"_

 _"Where are you, Kitty?"_

 _"The front door. He was dropped off here by someone named…'A'. There's a note that says he had a concussion."_

 _"Thank you. I'll inform Hank at once."_

* * *

"Why won't he wake up?" Kitty asked Dr. McCoy after Kurt had been delivered to the infirmary.

Hank put a blanket over the young man, smiling at Kitty. "He's fine, Kitty. He's just been pumped with a sedative to help him rest. I don't approve of that, but it didn't do him any harm. Kurt'll wake up in due time, don't worry."

Kitty relaxed considerably. "Thank goodness. What about his head?"

Beast began gingerly unwrapping Kurt's bandages and examined under his hair. After a moment, he put them back. "He must have hit his head when he fell into the ocean; there's a pretty large gash back there, but it was expertly stitched. I'll keep him in here for a week and see how he fares."

"Will he be okay?"

"Don't worry, Kitty." He put a large hand on her head. "He's a fast healer. Within a few days he'll be wanting to bounce off the walls. Guarantee it."

Kitty smiled and sighed in relief. "That's good. I'd hate to see our resident elf down for too long."

"I'm sure."

* * *

Meanwhile, Xavier examined the note that had been left with Kurt. He didn't know who 'A' was, and it worried him slightly. How had he gotten Kurt on the grounds—much less to the door—without any alarms going off? And how did he know where to take Kurt in the first place, or even known where Kurt had been?

Storm knocked on his open door before coming in. Logan stalked in after her, putting on his uniform gloves. "Professor?" Storm called. "You wanted to see us?"

"Yes," he said, placing the note on his desk. "I'd like you and Logan to try and sweep the area for any signs of Kurt's rescuer. Just for today. If you cannot find him, then I suppose there's nothing to be done."

"How far do you want us to sweep?" she asked.

"The city should be far enough. This person couldn't have gotten far."

"And what d'ya want us to do should we find the guy?" Logan growled.

"I would like you to observe him and report back. I'd like to know if this man poses any obvious threat."

"The guy saved the elf an' gave him back," Logan argued. "What's so bad about that?"

"What's 'so bad' is the fact that he got past the institute security with Kurt in tow—without setting _anything_ off—and seemed to disappear without a trace. We're dealing with an unknown, here, and I feel we should be cautious of someone who can get past security so easily."

Storm nodded. "Alright."

Logan shrugged. "Good enough reason fer me, Chuck. Got any leads or hunches?"

Xavier held out the note. "Perhaps you might get a scent with this?"

"I ain't no dog, Chuck." Logan took the note and gave it a sniff. "But I think I got somethin'. Smells like sulfur and brimstone. But it ain't Kurt. The smell's mixed with…what is that, vodka?"

"It's a start," the Professor said. "It may be that we've found a mutant with the same powers as Kurt. I'll check Cerebro to see if I'm right."

"But that complicates things," Storm said. "If he's a teleporter, he could be anywhere by now."

"For today we will worry about finding him in the city," Xavier said. "If there's no sign, then I'm afraid we will have to wait until he comes back to us."

Logan grumbled and prowled out, ready to get trackin'. Storm followed.

Xavier looked out the window of his office. _A teleporter like Kurt? It can't be…_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Aw, Kurt's already back. Yay.  
**_

 _ **But it seems Xavier's not okay with their little delivery man.**_

 _ **Next chapter we get introduced to new players, as well. Very small new players with big yellow eyes and red/blue coloring! :3 Can anyone take a guess at who they are?**_


	3. Three: Father

**_We get to see the protective side of Azazel this time, as well as a bit of his 'past'. When the moment comes, imagine the part in First Class where Azazel starts raining CIA guys from the sky, minus Riptide and Shaw, and that's literally what that scene is.  
_**

 ** _Also, since Zae is Russian (in this story), he'll be like Kurt and just randomly spout words out in Russian. Sometimes it's just easier to do that than to think of the English word xD_**

 ** _Lychee: Trouble-making Muppets...my mind exploded with awesome overload. That is the greatest term I've heard used to describe the Bamfs since Hell Maggots. xD Yours wins, hands down! And also, thanks for the great review!_**

 ** _Thanks to Gared for the follow as well! It means a lot that people are interested, considering this is a less-active fan base than PJO, where I get constant follows and favs and reviews all the time. It's quite the change on this side._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Three: Father_**

Two hours after leaving the Professor's office, Logan was sitting on a roof, keeping Storm updated on anything suspicious around her. She was in civvies, acting as if she were going through a normal day. In reality, she was looking for any activity that would draw attention to a teleporter—a burst of smoke, a sound out of nowhere…anything she'd normally expect of Kurt.

If Logan spotted something from above, he'd alert her. They would have switched roles—with her flying around and him walking—but it was agreed that Ororo would be better at handling a face-to-face confrontation—at least, in a _civilized_ way.

Logan sniffed the air. "Keep yer eyes open, 'Ro," he told her through the communicators. "His scent's on the wind, which means he can't be too far."

"Roger."

As Storm passed an alley, she didn't notice a pair of icy eyes in the shadows. They looked at her, then flickered up to where Logan was perched. A long, red tail swished in curiosity. The eyes shone in recognition towards the gruff man.

Ororo paused just outside the ally, and the figure moved closer to hear the conversation. He heard the woman say, "What do you think we're even looking for? It's like finding a needle in a haystack."

The figure didn't catch the reply, but she spoke up after a few seconds. "I'm sure. I just hope that whoever this is, they didn't hurt Kurt."

The figure's pointed ears perked up. Kurt? As in…?

He growled and 'ported up to where the man was on the rooftops. More accurately, he 'ported a few rooftops over, making sure the short, hairy man saw him.

Logan snapped to attention and started sprinting across the roof. "Storm, I got 'em! He's teleportin' 'cross the roofs. I'm on his trail!"

Storm saw Wolverine take off and was about to follow when a cloud of smoke in front of her made her stop. A strong hand dragged her into the dark and something sharp tickled her neck. She was pushed up against the wall with enough force to stop a truck.

"You listen, X-Man," a deep voice growled. Storm could barely make out two glowing eyes in the darkness. "You will take care of _syn_ and not harm him. If I find that he has been hurt again—"

The sharp object pressed harder into her neck. Storm gasped, her eyes turning white. Rainclouds began to gather above them and sleet came down hard. If that affected the teleporter, he gave no sign. If anything, he pressed harder.

"I have just found _syn_ ," he snarled. "I will _nyet_ lose him _again_."

He disappeared with a _bamf_ , leaving Storm alone with a red mark on her neck. Logan appeared, jumping down from the roof.

"'Ro," he said. "You okay? That bastard hurt you?"

Storm shakily put a hand on her neck, feeling the groove where the sharp object—a dagger? A sword?—had been pressed. "He threatened me—us—but didn't do anything else."

"Threatened? Why?"

"Something about sins," she gasped. "About us hurting and losing sins?"

Logan crossed his arms and pointed at the sleet storm. Ororo nodded and made it dissipate. When it was gone, Wolverine huffed. "Did the guy have an accent?"

"Yes. Russian, like Colossus."

"It's not sin he was talkin' about. He might'a been sayin' ' _syn'_ , which means 'son' in Russian." He sniffed the air a few times and growled. "A teleporter with a similar scent, givin' threats to us if we hurt his son…"

Storm finally caught up to his train of thought. "Logan, you don't mean…"

"Yup. I think we've found Nightcrawler's ol' man."

* * *

Kurt woke up feeling slow, but much better. He opened his eyes at a glacial pace, adjusting to the bright lights in his room. He stretched his limbs and cracked his neck.

"Boy," he said with a yawn. "I feel a lot better. I guess vhatever vas wrong is out of my system."

That was when he noticed he was in the infirmary. He looked around, confused. "Vhat am I doing here?" he asked out loud.

"Ah, you're up."

Kurt turned, watching Hank McCoy as the the larger mutant walked over, looking all official and doctor-like. " _Herr_ McCoy. _Guten tag_. Vhat am I doing here?"

"Kurt, what's the last thing you remember?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "I remember going to bed last night _und_ vaking up early. I vorked out a bit _und_ then I fell asleep on the roof."

Hank nodded. "I suppose that's fine. Short-term memory loss can be expected."

"Vait, _was_?" Kurt blinked. "Vhat do you mean 'short-term memory loss'?"

"Kurt, it's been a few days. Granted, you've been unconscious for most of them, but…"

"Vhat happened?"

"While rescuing Abigail, you fell into the sea and hit your head. You've suffered from a concussion, which can cause memory loss. Thankfully, that seems to be the only symptom, and it was very small. You'll be fine."

Kurt felt his head, realizing it was wrapped with bandages. He tried to remember Abigail, but came up short. For some reason, he remembered the woods and Wolverine…and something about an older, red Nightcrawler? _Weird_ , he thought.

"How long vas I out?"

"Just a few days. Someone managed to rescue you and brought you back to us about forty-eight hours after you disappeared into the sea." Hank placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kurt. You'll be back to normal in no time. In the meantime, I'd like you to take it easy for a few days. Rest up, take it slow. You've got some stitches in your head, so no Danger Room or training sessions for a week. If you start hurting, even if it feels like a headache, tell me."

Kurt nodded. "Okay. Can I, um, go eat?"

"Not until I give you a check-up."

Five minutes later, Kurt was wobbling over to the door. Doctor McCoy had cleared him to walk places—no teleporting at all—but Kurt hadn't realized how hard walking was. He made it to the door and leaned against the frame.

Beast chuckled. "Walking can be a challenge. Do you want me to get a student to help steer you to the kitchen?" Kurt shook his head with vigor. "How about I lead you?"

Kurt groaned in annoyance, but nodded just the same. His tail dragged behind him as Hank led him down the halls and toward the kitchen.

"Dis is embarrassing," Kurt grumbled, his accent thicker with tiredness.

"Mark my words; you'll be annoying me and wiggling around the infirmary by noon tomorrow. Enjoy your rest time, Kurt. No one will think any less of you for taking it easy."

They shuffled into the kitchen. Bobby, Rogue, and Kitty were already helping themselves to some sandwiches at the table. Jamie and Ray were digging around in the fridge.

Kitty spotted the two blue mutants and gave a grin that lit up the world. "Kurt! You're awake!"

She ran up and hugged Kurt so hard he nearly toppled over. Hank cleared his throat. "Easy, Miss Pryde. Kurt's still a little woozy."

"Oh, sorry, Fuzzy. I forgot." Kitty reached up and touched the bandages around his head. "How you feelin'?"

Kurt gave her a small grin. "Like I got hit by a truck. My legs feel like jelly, but I can't stand sitting still and vaiting for food."

Kitty took his arm and led him over to the table. Rogue helped him sit down and put a sandwich in front of him. Kurt smiled at them and muttered a thanks.

Rogue ruffled his hair with a gloved hand. "Glad yer back, furball. Can't tell ya how much we missed ya."

Kurt merely nibbled on his sandwich, not really feeling up to playful banter. Rogue took the hint and sat back down next to him. Kitty sat on the other side. Bobby nodded to Kurt, giving him a warm welcome back, then left the kitchen to do some homework.

Kurt yawned wide enough to swallow the sun. "I literally just voke up," he complained. "I felt great before, but now that I've been walking I feel like I've run a marathon!"

Kitty giggled. She looked at Hank. "Dr. McCoy, do you mind if Kurt just takes a catnap on the couch in the living room? We'll take him back to the infirmary tonight."

Beast nodded. "It's okay with me."

Rogue helped Kitty get a blanket and pillow for Kurt as the young teleporter rose and shuffled into the living room. No one would be using it right now, as most people had to do their homework or train with Cyclops and Jean at this time of day. He flopped like a dead fish onto the couch and lay there on his stomach.

"Don't'cha wanna lay on yer back, Kurt?" Rogue asked as she dragged in a blanket.

He shook his head. "The back of my head is vhere I vas hit. It kinda hurts to lay on, so I'll just sleep like this. It's not like I normally slept in dead-man pose anyvay."

* * *

"I gotta tell ya, Chuck; I never would'a imagined the elf bein' the result of two big-time mutants." Logan sucked on his cigar, much to the Professor's annoyance. "An' I thought he looked a lot like _Mystique_. Dunno why I didn't think o' this guy sooner."

Ororo shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't follow. I understand that this man is Kurt's father, but I never saw anything beyond a _bamf_ and blue eyes."

Xavier rubbed his temples, leading the two X-Men down to the Danger Room. "Let me show you who this man is, and _why_ his being near Kurt concerns me." He brought them to the control booth and started punching in a sequence neither of the X-Men knew. "I had added this man to the program a few years back in case we needed to train against teleporters. When Kurt came to the mansion, it became unnecessary."

The Danger Room lit up, and a cluster of buildings appeared. CIA agents walked around, seeming to go about their own business.

"I was informed of what had happened after, so I tweaked a few things," Charles explained. "The real attack had been for mutant recruitment for a terrorist group, but here, it's just a random attack."

Suddenly, a CIA agent disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reappeared two hundred feet above the buildings and dropped like a stone. Before he even hit the ground, three more agents were suddenly dropping from the sky.

Storm and Logan watched in horror as every unarmed agent ended up sunny-side up on the pavement. The armed ones took cover and started shooting every time the cloud of smoke popped up.

Then the swords came in.

Dual swords came with the smoke this time, cutting down every gunned man. A red devil's tail snapped a few people's necks.

When everything settled and the smoke cleared, there was finally a chance to look at the assassin. Storm now knew _exactly_ why Logan and Xavier said there was a family resemblance.

Standing in the middle of the carnage was a tall man with blood-red skin, slicked-back black hair, a lashing devil's tail, and icy blue eyes. He was wearing an ironed black suit with Oxford's shoes. Not a speck of blood was present anywhere on his person, and his shoes remained scuff-free. His face was scarred, but not hideous. If anything, Storm could see where Kurt got his handsome looks.

She turned to Logan. "You knew about him?"

"Didn't know he was the elf's father," Logan confessed. "But I knew 'im a while back. This wasn't the thing that got my attention, but he sure as Hell made an impression. And that time ain't a time I'd like to think about. What happened there—" He pointed to the massacre. "—damn near happened to me."

"What provoked you to get into a fight with that man?" Storm protested.

The Wolverine snickered. "Well…the Russky kept pokin' the proverbial bear. Word of advice—don't ever think you can outdrink the guy. Or out-insult 'em."

Ororo rolled her eyes. "Who is he?"

"A man that goes by Azazel," Charles answered. "His past is unknown, so the only things we know about him is that he is originally from Russia and had been a part of the aforementioned terrorist group. For a few years he had been a mercenary, but he fell off the map almost two decades ago."

"You couldn't track him through Cerebro?"

"His psychic shields are exponentially strong, and in the two-decade disappearance, he didn't use his powers. Cerebro cannot get a hit on a mutant when they don't use their power after a long period of time."

The computerized Azazel's tail swished as he stepped over the bodies, stabbing each one that dared to twitch or lie wrong. Storm looked away, disgusted. Charles turned off the simulation.

"So, what're we gonna tell the elf?" Logan asked. "Can't imagine he'd be thrilled to find out about a second bad parent."

Storm hesitated. Kurt hadn't taken it very well when he'd found out about Mystique. It had taken him a long time to get over the fact that his mother was a mutant terrorist, and he still questioned whether or not he would turn out just like her. To find out his father was just as bad—if not worse? The poor boy would be destroyed.

"We'll wait until he gets better," Xavier finally said. "Giving him news while he's recovering might hurt him."

"Got another question," Logan said. "Why the Hell is this guy just _now_ showin' up and gettin' interested in Kurt? And why'd the guy save him in the first place?"

"I don't know." Xavier sighed. "But we can only hope that there aren't evil intentions behind it."

Storm looked back into the Danger Room, half-expecting to see the red mutant jumping around and murdering people.

 _How did our shy, kind, lovable Kurt Wagner…come from parents like Mystique and Azazel?_ Storm's brow creased with worry. _How is it even possible?_

* * *

Within a few days, Kurt was once again bouncing off the walls. It was like he'd never gotten a concussion or lost a few days in his memories.

Kitty had noticed that he sometimes felt woozy or had a ghost pain in the back of his head. When she asked Hank about it, the older mutant just said, "It's perfectly normal. That's why I said no Danger Room, training sessions, or missions until I clear him. I can tell when he gets those headaches, too, Kitty."

It was okay, though. Kitty was happy to spend some time with Kurt without him teleporting around. And Kurt seemed to be much calmer and mellower without all the training sessions.

Of course, he was swamped with schoolwork. The Professor had excused Kurt from school, pretty much telling the truth; that he'd gotten a concussion and needed a week off. Principal Kelly was okay with it, since it was a medical emergency, as long as the boy kept up with his classes and didn't have any missing work when he returned.

"Kurt, are you stuck on something?" Kitty asked while they studied in the library. Amanda was with them as well, as the Professor had allowed her to visit her boyfriend and help him with certain classes.

The blue mutant sighed, running a three-fingered hand through his navy-blue hair. "It is English again, Keety," he said. "Your language is so hard!" His tail lashed in agitation. "Vhy is your grammar structure so backvards?"

Kitty giggled. "You speak just fine."

"But trying to think about it and make a report on the complicated structures is hard!"

She rolled her eyes. "If it's, like, any consolation: native English speakers have a hard time doing this, too…"

Kurt chuckled. "Thanks for helping me, Keety. I really appreciate it. You, too, Amanda."

"Don't sweat it, Fuzzy." Amanda tapped a pencil on her notebook. "How's your head?"

"A dull ache, and this hard thinking doesn't help…"

Amanda leaned over and hugged him. "You'll be okay. Want me to kiss it better?"

Kurt flushed, but it was barely visible under his fur. "Amanda! Vhy vould you say that!?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "No reason. Just to see you squirm."

Squirm he did. His tail started unconsciously wrapping around Amanda's leg, and she blushed as she felt the velvety fur tickle her skin. Then it began to go higher.

"Kurt," she began. "Kurt, your tail is exploring."

Kurt's face turned purple. Kitty giggled. She knew it took a lot to make his face change color. She faked a grossed-out expression. "Get a room, you two. You're, like, so gross!"

Kurt grinned mischievously and scooted closer to Amanda. She got the hint and began to make out with him. They went a little over the top, but it was all in good fun. Kitty stuck her tongue out and threw a cushion at Kurt. "Not this room, Fuzzy! Go do that somewhere else after homework!"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the window, a pair of little yellow eyes examined what was going down. A tiny red figure watched patiently, its little devil tail swishing in a lazy manner. It yawned, revealing tiny fangs. A second figure, blue in color, raised its head, apparently woken up from its nap. Its own yellow eyes gazed at the red one in a questioning manner.

The red one shook its head in denial, as if it were offended by a question of tiredness. Its tail thwacked the blue one on the head. The blue one paid it no mind and went back to its snooze. The red one snorted and continued to spy on Kurt Wagner and his little X-Man family.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ooh~! What could those mysterious figures be? I wonder I wonder~!  
**_

 _ **As I said before, this has Kurmanda in it. Kitty will be a main presence for some of it, but Kurtty won't be a thing here. I love Kurtty, don't get me wrong. I just like Kurmanda better when I write.**_


	4. Four: Bamfs

**_And here we meet the Bamfs~! Finally!  
_**

 ** _For those who have never read X-Men comics (especially recent ones) just imagine chibi Kurts the size of house cats. That's a bamf._**

 ** _Gared, thanks for the fav this time!_**

 ** _Complicated, thanks for the compliment! I never quit my fics, though sometimes they might seem like I did. Work and life can sometimes take up all of my time, so I apologize in advance if I suddenly start going slow._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Four: Bamfs_**

The next day, Kurt was stretching out on the lawn. As a previous circus acrobat, he knew good stretches could help unused muscles. Since he couldn't do any hard work, Kurt figured he might as well do some yoga.

That, and he thoroughly enjoyed watching the students get a thrashing from Wolverine's training session. It was nice to not be on the receiving end of that punishment for a change.

This week's intense session consisted of an obstacle course, and sprinkled in among the obstacles were opponents: Beast, Storm, Jean, Cyclops, and Wolverine himself.

Bobby had already gotten thrashed by Cyclops. Jamie was trying to hold his own against Beast—which was really hilarious to watch—and Ray had just run in to Storm. Wolverine had yet to pop up, and Kurt could see Jean waiting for someone to pass her station.

A little movement caught Kurt's eye. It wasn't like the dynamic movement of the training session. It was small, but deliberate. Nightcrawler turned and cocked his head.

A tiny, blue, fuzzy thing crawled over to Kurt. He noticed it looked a _lot_ like him—blue and fuzzy, with a little devil's tail, six fingers and toes, and glowing yellow eyes.

" _Was ist…?_ " Kurt held out a hand to the mini-Kurt. " _Hallo_ , little thing," he called. "Vhat are you doing here? Vhat even _are_ you?"

The litte Kurt cocked his head. "Bamf?"

"Bamf?" Kurt repeated. "Is that your noise? Or your name?"

"Bamf," it answered.

Kurt picked it up and placed it on his lap. "Noise it is, then. Do you have a name?"

The creature tilted its head again.

"Um…I guess not…" He looked to the sky for a moment. "You know, you're fuzzier than me. How about Fuzzy?"

It wrinkled its nose.

" _Ja_ , you're right. Too much like my nickname. How 'bout Furball?"

The creature's tail wagged. "Bamf!"

"Furball it is! Furball the…the bamf!"

"Bamf!"

It purred and started rubbing against Kurt like a cat. Then, it curled up in his lap. "Aw," Kurt cooed. "You're so cute." Then, he frowned. "Too cute. You'll take all the ladies from me with the cuteness, dude!"

The bamf's tail flicked in recognition, but otherwise it didn't move. Kurt patted it on the head.

"Kurt, what'cha got there?"

Kurt looked up and saw Kitty heading for him. He gestured to the bamf. "His name is Furball. I don't know where he came from, but he went right up to me."

Kitty's eyes widened. "What _is_ that?"

"I call it a bamf," Kurt explained.

She looked at it skeptically. "So, is this how you reproduce, Kurt? Because the way I see it, either, like, you and Amanda had taken a big step in your relationship or you actually, like, reproduce asexually."

Kurt stuck his tongue out. "Very funny."

"Elf, what the Hell is that?" Wolverine stalked towards them, a weird look plastered on his face. "Did you and your girlfriend do somethin' I should know about?"

Kurt threw his arms into the air as everyone within a mile turned to look at what had gotten Wolverine's attention. " _Nein_ , it isn't my _child_! It's some sort of creature! _He_ came right up to me!"

"How do you know it's a male?" Bobby asked.

Kurt shrugged. "The nose knows, man." He held up the bamf and examined it. "And um…I don't see anything to suggest, but then again I don't want to _touch_ down there."

Logan sniffed the air. "Definitely male, kid. Now that I've got a good sniff…" He looked around, then gestured towards a couple of bushes near the mansion. Bobby took the hint and shot a few icicles in that direction.

About ten bamfs exploded from the bushes. Kurt's eyes widened when they all skittered towards him. Every single one of them looked like a miniature version of Kurt, just like Furball. And every single one of them reached him and started to snuggle up against him.

" _Ach!_ " he cried. "Vhy are there so many of these things? Vhere did they come from?"

Storm picked one up. The bamf squealed and teleported out of her grip, landing next to Kurt.

"They even have your powers," Jamie said with a gasp.

Logan growled. "I don't like these things. Somethin' don't smell right about 'em."

Furball yawned, snuggling deeper into Kurt's lap. The other bamfs kept wandering around Kurt, keeping to a foot radius and preventing anyone else from coming close.

Kitty braved picking up one. That bamf didn't mind and actually purred at her. Kitty smiled. "Aw, they're all so cute. Are they all boys, though?"

Kurt and Logan sniffed, and confirmed that all eleven bamfs (including Furball) were indeed male. It was weird to acknowledge, considering all of them seemed to be as smooth as Ken dolls.

"Then I get to name this one," Kitty announced. She examined her bamf thoroughly. "You guys don't look much different from each other, though. Maybe if we did something with your hair."

The bamf tilted its head and blinked at her with big, yellow eyes.

The other bamfs seemed to get the hint that the other people near Kurt weren't so bad. One was even bold enough to explore around Logan. He kicked it away, but the bamf took that as a challenge and teleported onto the gruff man's shoulder.

"Aw, he, like, totally likes you, Mr. Logan," Kitty squealed.

Wolverine grumbled, trying to get the bamf off. The bamf held on and looked indifferent to anything Logan tried.

Another bamf went over to Storm. Kurt figured this was the same one that had teleported out of her grip earlier. Storm smiled and cradled it in her arms, stroking its back like one would do to a cat. The bamf cried out softly in delight, its tail wagging.

The bamfs had all seemed to choose a person to cuddle. Beast was examining his own, which squeaked at the exploring huge hands. Jean cooed at hers, Bobby made his bamf's fur stand on end with frost (it didn't seem to mind), Rogue allowed one to sit near her leg, just close enough to brush against the stockings she wore, Jamie was already hatching ideas on games to play with his, and Ray was hesitantly stroking the bamf that had chosen him, his powers inadvertently making its fur fluff up and sparkle.

Only one did not have a person to choose, so it sat next to Kurt and yawned.

As all of this went down, a group of red creatures—miniature Kurts in red—watched from different trees and bushes, downwind of the one called Wolverine. They watched as their blue brothers latched on to the humans without care. One red one _harrumphed_ at the sight, but silently considered this to be a safe way to watch over Kurt Wagner. The blue brothers would watch his friends from the inside, while the red brothers kept their eyes peeled for danger from afar in the shadows.

Their master had said to keep a close eye on him and his _X-Man family_. He didn't specify how.

* * *

Two months later, the bamfs were a normal everyday part of life in the X-Mansion. Though they seemed to like to travel in a group when creating mischief, each one favored staying near the X-Man of their choice during everyday activities—school and missions excluded, of course.

The one bamf that hadn't latched on to anyone the first day found refuge in the Professor, who was very surprised to find a miniature Kurt rifling through his things that afternoon. After an initial scolding, the bamf was more cooperative and stuck to Xavier like glue.

Logan's bamf apparently liked his choice of drink, stealing a swig every now and again every time the man bought alcohol secretly to the school. _Somehow_ , it had learned how to say whiskey, which gave it its name—Whiskey. The Professor found out about Logan's secret alcohol because of this vocabulary word, though, so Logan was not pleased.

The others got along well with everyone. The Professor and Jean, though, had tried scanning their minds for any suspicious intentions. The only one that had any clues was Furball's mind: Xavier caught a little memory of a giant shadow ordering Furball and a large group of bamfs to watch over Kurt and his family of X-Men, and to alert him should Kurt end up extremely hurt.

The Professor had not told anyone other than Storm and Wolverine about this, saying that it was likely that Azazel had somehow cloned Kurt and created the bamfs. For what greater purpose, other than observing, he did not yet know.

"What worries me," he said, "is that 'Furball' had been one amongst many. Eleven blue bamfs, the ones we know of, and nine red."

"Red?" Ororo echoed. "There are red ones?"

The bald man nodded. "I sense them wandering the grounds, but their barriers are more powerful, so I cannot probe their minds. They seem to be older than the blue ones."

"If it's red an' blue we're talkin' about," Logan growled. "Ya think the ol' man cloned himself?"

"I've no idea. We'll have to keep a close eye on these bamfs. Their orders are to observe, for now. So, we shall do the same."

He didn't mention that beyond the shadow in Furball's memories squirmed a hoard of red bamfs, all crawling on any and all surfaces. They didn't look sinister or evil, but such a large group made the Professor very uneasy. Where had they come from?

And what were they for?

* * *

At the beginning of the bamf invasion, far away, in an undisclosed location, a red man sat at a dinner table. An iPod was hooked up to some mini speakers, and _Carmen_ was playing softly in the background. The man ate his breakfast slowly, enjoying the flavors of his omelet and reading the Bayville newspaper.

A red bamf sat on the table, patiently waiting to report. Though the bamfs could not speak many words beyond their namesake, Azazel understood them well enough. He didn't know how he knew their language. Why question it when it wasn't a problem?

" _Nachat_ ," he said in Russian. ( _Begin._ )

"Bamf, bamf bamf, bamf!" The red creature squawked away in its single-word language.

Azazel cracked a smile at how the blue bamfs had assimilated themselves into the mansion. Rarely did something amuse him nowadays—this was pretty funny. The blue bamfs were a recent acquisition, much younger than their red brothers, and much more hyper. It made sense they would seek a less boring way to observe Kurt.

"Bamf! Bamf bamf bamf!"

Mind probing? No matter. Azazel had no evil intentions in this. Eventually, he'd take the red bamfs out of the picture entirely and let the blue bamfs stay with Kurt. Once he found the X-Men capable of taking care of the boy, he'd stop being so careful.

That reminded him.

"Where is your counterpart?" he asked. "The one I told to observe—?"

Another red bamf 'ported onto the table. It started squeaking quickly, clearly flustered.

Azazel wrinkled his nose. The place this bamf was describing—a boarding house for some group called the Brotherhood—sounded very unpleasant. And disgusting. The person it was sent to observe was not staying there anymore, so Azazel told the bamf to not go back again. The bamf was very relieved, and hopped down from the table to join its brethren elsewhere.

The other one, the one leading the group at Xavier's, flicked its tail patiently. Azazel nodded. "Good work. Should anything major pop up, immediately find me. Otherwise, report back next week."

The bamf nodded, stole a piece of bacon off of Azazel's plate, and 'ported away. The man would not snap at it for such behavior. It deserved _something_ to compensate for its troubles of 'porting a long distance. He assumed the others at the mansion had their own ways of making it work, anyway.

He continued reading his newspaper, taking a swig of his coffee. "Kurt is safe. Good. Xavier is suspicious. Nothing new. And Raven is missing." He took another swig. "Also not new. That woman can be such a snake sometimes."

He folded up the newspaper and finished his breakfast. "Quite literally."

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, to explain pronouns:  
**_

 _ **It is my belief that bamfs (as seen in Amazing X-Men: the Quest for Nightcrawler and beyond) are male, but a sort of 'neutral' male. Meaning? They're as smooth as Ken dolls, but are male in scent and actions. So, they can run around nakie without flashing anyone innapropriately.**_

 _ **On that note, I, as the narrator, will refer to bamfs as 'it'. The characters will be saying 'he' sometimes to refer to a specific bamf like Furball. Sorry for the confusion, but that's how it's going to go. :)**_


	5. Five: Lunch

**_Thanks, lychee! I actually hadn't thought about Hank's coffeemaker, so I'll have to include that later! xD I'll put that in the list of 'bamfcapades' that is somehow still growing. I'm so glad you thought about Ray or Ro's bamfs having problems with static, because I had thought of it too...  
_**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Five: Lunch_**

"Kitty, I think you're gonna poison him if you keep feeding him more of your cooking."

Kitty Pryde stuck her tongue out as she pulled out a fresh batch of muffins from the oven. "Unlike you guys, Scott, Gordy loves my cooking! He won't, like, run away when I bring him food, either!"

Said bamf 'ported onto Kitty's shoulder and snatched a muffin from the tray. It sniffed once, then gobbled the muffin whole. No one—not even the other bamfs—could stomach Kitty's cooking. Only Gordy seemed to have the gut of steel, so much so that its belly was slightly more extended than the other ten bamfs in the mansion. It wasn't by any means a fat bamf, just chubby.

Gordy squeaked in delight. Kitty smiled. "You like my new recipe, huh?"

Furball and Kurt shared a look of disgust and nausea at the thought of eating nothing but Kitty's food. Jean noted how similar the two looked, almost as if they were brothers. They were sure inseparable enough to be called that.

Her own bamf, Fidget—because he constantly wiggled and squirmed, even in his sleep—snuck the burger off of Scott's plate. Jean put it back before Scott or his bamf, Diesel—who had originally picked Jamie as his human, then thought better and stuck to Scott—noticed. Fidget pouted and thrashed his tail around. She shook her head and gave him a few fries to tide him over until the next batch of burgers—cooked by Storm—was ready.

Thanks to the eleven new mini-Kurts, food was held in an even more sacred manner than before. Nothing was safe, especially from Gordy or Kurt, whose stomachs knew no bounds—with Kitty's cooking being the only exception in Kurt's case. All of the teleporters had high metabolisms, so more servings had to be dished out at every meal. Snacks in the mansion could not be hoarded for long, for the bamfs could literally sniff them out and eat the stashes dry.

Some of the students had been lucky and gotten into the kitchen before the big group, like Scott and Jean, and were able to get the few burgers Storm had made. Kurt had managed to 'port in and had grabbed the last burgers off the table before anyone else rushed in.

Jean looked up and saw that Whiskey, Logan's bamf, was wandering around on the ceiling, its nose working in overdrive. It disappeared behind a cupboard before appearing in a flash next to the fridge, holding its prize—a big bottle of whiskey—proudly in its pudgy, three-fingered hands. "Whiskey!"

Diesel and Fidget 'ported next to Whiskey and reached for the bottle, wanting a sip. Gordy got in on the fight as well. The other bamfs in the room stayed out of it.

Storm's bamf looked at the wiggling group once, then turned back to what Ororo was making. She patted him on the head and fed him a bit of burger. He ate it happily. "At least you have some sense, Oscar," she said.

Oscar gave her a fanged grin.

"Is the food ready yet, Miss Munroe?" Kurt complained. "I'm vasting avay over here!"

"Bamf!" Furball complained in a similar tone.

Bobby gave him a death glare. "You had, like, three burgers already, dude!"

Kurt's eyes sparkled. "But you know I alvays have at least six before I feel full."

Frosty, Bobby's bamf, decided it wanted to join the bamf-pile for the whiskey. It hopped off the table, the perma-frost on its fur sparkling, and pounced on its brothers.

"Ow!" Jamie yelped, a new copy of him jumping up and landing on the floor. "Ray! Fluffy's shocking me again!"

Ray grinned from where he sat. A puffball 'ported in front of him, its blue fur fluffed up from static cling. "Good boy, Fluffy."

So, Ray wasn't the most creative when it came to names. At least it legitimately fit the description. Ray's powers had rubbed off on the bamf, so its fur was constantly sticking up, waiting for someone to touch it and remove the electricity.

Fluffy gave a salute, then joined the others on the floor. All of the other bamfs squeaked in discomfort when the static rubbed into them, and Whiskey almost dropped the bottle of his namesake.

Roberto shushed everyone as he watched the TV. "Something's going on, guys!"

The volume was turned up when everyone turned to see what was happening. A news lady was standing in front of a large crowd of protesters, talking loudly over the din.

" _Protesters are still rallying around the White House as we speak. They are all shouting a message that says mutants should not be given the same rights as normal humans. At the head of this protest—as well as many others around the country—is a group that calls themselves the Friends of Humanity—"_

All of the bamfs in the room froze. Jean noticed Furball's tail was quivering. She tapped into its mind.

* * *

 _Test tubes._

 _Wires._

 _Sparking electricity._

 _Weird, green liquid._

 _Shadows danced on the walls. A person bent down and picked up a cat-sized tube. "No good. We can't seem to make them bigger. All we've managed to do is change the damn color. What is it we're missing?"_

" _We'll figure it out. Put it with the other failures and prep subject 296 again."_

 _"Sir, he's just gone through the process. His body won't be able to hold it together if we try again so quickly."_

 _"Then make him recover faster. We need an army of these. Fight fire with fire. And fight mutants with mutants."_

* * *

Jean was thrown back to the present. Furball wasn't looking at the TV anymore—it was looking at her. It had a look of, _do not share_ , on its face.

The telepath nodded slightly and returned her attention to the television program.

 _"These mutants are a danger to our way of life," called one protester. "Think of our children! Do we_ want _our children growing up and breeding with those things? They aren't human!"_

 _Cheers rose up. The protest continued._

 _"We need to know we're safe! We need to know who in our communities are monsters! Sex offenders have to register, but mutants—who can turn on you at any time—are allowed to stay in hiding? It's wrong!"_

"Turn to another channel, Roberto," Storm admonished. "This isn't appropriate dining room entertainment."

The TV was turned off. Everyone's mood was more solemn now. Even the bamfs had stopped their roughhousing and had gone back to their respective people.

"So," Kitty began, trying to change the mood. "Is anyone excited for Prom?"

"Not as excited as you, I'd imagine," Bobby said. "It's all you've been able to talk about!"

Kitty smiled. "Because it's only, like, the most important dance of your high school career!" She turned to Kurt. "I know _you_ must me excited, since you're, like, taking Amanda."

Kurt turned purple. "I am, but…It's hard getting suits tailored for me. The Professor's busy enough and I don't vant to bother anyone about it right now."

"Why's it hard?" Scott asked. Jean elbowed him, gesturing to the moving, snake-like appendage currently winding around a burger as Storm set the plate down. "Oh. Can't you hide it like you normally do?"

Kurt grimaced. "I normally still have a tail hole so I can wrap it around my vaist when my inducer is on. I had cut a hole in my jeans, and it's pretty sloppy. I vant my suit to look nice, even vhen I'm disguised…"

Furball watched on, carefully listening and gauging Kurt's emotions. Jean caught the bamf's calculating gaze, wondering what it might be up to. This time, however, Furball did not let her in its mind.

As Kurt and Kitty shared some banter about Prom and their dates, dragging Bobby and the others in on the discussion, Jean sat back and wonder just what actually went through the minds of the bamfs, and what their motives really were.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yay, all of the bamfs have names now! The ones you haven't met are Beast's, the Professor's, and Rogue's. Their names, respectively, are Newton, Arthur, and Spook. You'll meet them later.  
**_

 _ **We'll also get to see what Furball is up to in the next chapter! Stay tuned~!**_


	6. Six: Talk

**_To the guest, I had written in the very first A/N of the story that Azazel would be OOC (out of character) and would not be a mutant from biblical times (which is what he said he was, but refers to himself as a demon, too) but rather a normal first generation mutant from Russia. Also, a bamf is about the size of a house cat. If you'd like a reference picture, just look up 'Mcguinness bamfs' (those are my favorite version to think about, not the gangly-looking ones from before Nightcrawler's resurrection.  
_**

 ** _To lychee, I hope you enjoy where I'm going with this. I plan to go pretty dark with it for a split second (in a later chapter) but that will break into fluff chapters after a while._**

 ** _What's to happen in this chapter? Kurt gets a new suit, Kitty is NOT last to get ready for Prom, and Azazel's past, as well as the origin of the bamfs, comes to light._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Six: Talk_**

A few weeks later, all of the teens were scrambling to get ready for Prom. Kitty was spending the most time in the bathroom, trying to get her hair done correctly. Jean was helping her.

The boys tried to look their best, making sure their tuxes were nice and their breath not-stinky. Cologne clouds were present as they walked out of their rooms.

Kurt sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. He hadn't cut a hole in his trousers yet to make room for his tail, so it was currently wrapped painfully around his leg. The tux he was wearing was a borrowed one from Scott, so it was a little big on him. It wasn't like he could go out and get fitted by a professional…

Yes, his image would be fixed with the inducer, but his tail could never hide, so he had to wrap it around his leg or waist. But normally he'd have a hole so his tail wouldn't be squished up against his body so harshly.

"Bamf!"

The teen turned, smiling at his little buddy. Then, he frowned, confused.

Furball and the other bamfs were carrying a large bag above their heads. They held it carefully, as if it were a giant baby spread out in their hands.

" _Vas ist das, mein freunde_?" he asked.

They set the bag down on the bed and began to climb over the walls and furniture in his room. Their eyes glowed in anticipation.

A note was attached to the bag. It read: **_The bamfs told me you were having issues with finding a proper suit. Perhaps one of my old ones could help? Good luck with your date, little one. –A_**

Kurt's head swam as a memory hit him. It had been months since he'd fallen into the ocean and gotten a concussion, and he hadn't thought of his short-term memory loss as too bad. But now…what had happened in the days between him falling and then ending up on the stoop of the mansion?

 _A red Nightcrawler_ , he remembered. _There had been a red me…no, not me. He was older. And Russian? And…his name…A…? Asht—no, Azt—no…Azaz…Azazel?_ Ja _, it was Azazel! Now I remember! He called me 'little one'._

Kurt unzipped the bag and gasped. Inside was a freshly-pressed black suit with red highlights and a red tie. There was no collared shirt, though Kurt didn't mind, since he already had one. He checked the pants—there was a hole, right where his tail could go! Professionally stitched and everything!

"Wow," he breathed. "Vhy…Vhy vould he give this to me?" He looked at the bamfs. "He sent you, didn't he? Azazel?"

Furball nodded, the rest of them following suit.

Kurt smiled. "It looks amazing! I hope it fits."

* * *

Kitty and Jean stepped out of the bathroom in a cloud of perfume. Storm was waiting outside in the hall, smiling.

"You look beautiful, Kitty," she said, handing Kitty a white carnation. "I sincerely hope your date realizes how lucky he is."

Kitty Pryde beamed. Though she and Lance weren't dating anymore, he'd still shyly asked her to Prom. She didn't want to refuse, so she was willing to give him a chance to be civil for one night. No talking about the Brotherhood/X-Men relationship. No powers. Just them starting over.

"So, like, am I the last one to get ready?" Kitty asked.

"Actually, you aren't. Kurt's still in his room."

Kitty frowned. She knew Kurt was self-conscious about his appearance, and he didn't want to mess up Scott's suit with his tail.

"I'll help him," she offered.

Just as she was about to open the door to Kurt's room, the blue mutant stepped out. Kitty gasped. That was _not_ Scott's old tux!

Kurt was wearing a black suit with a red-lined pocket and red tie. It fit him perfectly, and his tail waved freely behind him. He was playing with his holo-watch.

"Kurt," Kitty gasped. "Wow…where'd you get that?"

Kurt looked up, surprised at her presence. "Oh, _hallo_ , Keety. Sorry, I'm trying to fix my vatch. I vant it to just cover my skin, and not my new suit."

"My, Kurt," Ororo said, surprised. "You look very dashing. I don't recall Scott owning a suit like that."

"It is not his," Kurt answered, turning on his watch. His blue fur disappeared and he now looked like a normal human with a tail in the same suit. The tail wound its way under Kurt's blazer and disappeared, acting like an under-belt. "The bamfs brought it to me."

"The bamfs?" Kitty echoed.

As if summoned, Furball, Gordy, and Oscar all teleported into the hall, grinning and wagging their tiny tails.

" _Ja_ , they came in and gave me this." Kurt scratched the back of his head, clearly nervous. "Do…Do you like it?"

Kitty smiled. "It looks amazing on you. Fits you like a glove, Kurt! How'd they, like, know what your size was?"

Kurt shrugged. "I guess they just knew…"

Ororo narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything more as Kitty rushed Kurt down the stairs and into the limo that would take them to Amanda's house and then to Prom. Lance, not wanting to be picked up at the Brotherhood house, had opted to travel to the mansion and get in the limo there. Bobby and Rogue (dared to go together, but somehow not minding each other's company) were also already waiting in the limo.

Storm watched them leave, then entered Kurt's room. The bamfs followed her inside, watching her warily. She found the note, casually thrown onto the dresser, and blinked.

What did Azazel want with Kurt? Why show such interest now?

She looked at the bamfs. "Is your master willing to meet me? I'd like to speak with him about this. Just me and him. Can you tell him that?"

Furball looked at the other bamfs, then nodded and disappeared.

Within a few minutes, filled by awkward silence, a large _bamf_ startled Storm. Something closed the door, making the room go dark.

Two blue eyes looked at her through the shadows.

"So," Storm said calmly. "Kurt inherited that shadow-invisibility technique from you as well. Azazel?"

The red mutant stepped out of the shadows, flanked by the eleven bamfs residing in the mansion. He was older than the simulation Azazel, with grey streaking through his jet-black hair, and he had a lot more scars. "You wished to speak with me?"

"I'll get to the point: Why are you so interested in Kurt? He's almost a man and you choose _now_ to show the slightest bit of interest?"

Azazel looked sad for almost a moment. Then, his face hardened. "He is my _syn_. Should I not be concerned for him?"

"But why now? Why not when he was a child?"

"I could not be with him as he grew up," the man confessed. "I barely remembered his existence until recently."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Right after Kurt was born, after Mystique showed me our baby, I was captured and constantly drugged. Perhaps it is for the best that I do not remember, but I had spent the greater part of seventeen years in a tube in some lab underground. From what I gather, anti-mutant groups wanted to clone an army of me, knowing my ability to kill was far beyond a normal mutant's. My looks alone make it easy to judge."

Storm looked away at that. Kurt had similar issues regarding his appearance, but it must have been even more terrible for his father, who looked exactly like the Devil in most religious stories. Then, her eyes caught the bamfs still crawling around. "Clone an army…the bamfs…"

"Reject clones, every single one of them," Azazel clarified. "For years, no matter what the lab tried, whatever clone they made from me became what you and I now call a bamf. Perhaps it is my genes. Perhaps the only way to rid a clone of such a small fate is to get Raven's genes involved—after all, we made Kurt right."

She nodded. "How did you wake up?"

"I do not know. Perhaps it was slip in security. Or maybe they forgot to keep me drugged that last time. Whatever it was, I took the chance to escape."

"And the bamfs?"

"I put all of their tubes in a cart and escaped with them. Clone or _nyet_ , they don't deserve a fate worse than death without truly living." He looked uncomfortable. "I go back to that place to rescue new clones. They don't have many more samples of me left, and there are fewer bamfs to rescue. They did make one breakthrough before I left."

"Oh?"

Azazel picked up Furball, who squeaked in happiness and smiled. "The original clones were _nyet_ blue. They were red. The blue ones started appearing just before I released myself."

"Where are the red ones?"

Azazel gave a wicked grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Storm shuddered, remembering the simulation of the red mutant killing every single CIA agent in cold blood. His eyes shone murderously, just like the simulation, then softened.

"The elder bamfs prefer solitude to cuddles," he said finally. Furball hopped out of his arms. "The blues are like children, in need of constant attention."

Storm eyed Oscar, the bamf that had attached itself to her. Oscar was wagging its tail happily as it began to wrestle with Furball.

"I suppose you don't mind the blue bamfs becoming a part of the mansion, then?" Storm asked.

"By all means, make life easier on me. Do you know how much my food bill is when I try to feed _myself_? The younger bamfs are still in that 'eat everything' stage."

"We've noticed. They're kind of like Kurt."

The man's eyes softened for a moment. "The bamfs tell me he is doing well."

"Yes. And…thank you for saving him."

"I would _nyet_ leave _syn_ to die," he huffed. Then, he shifted awkwardly. "And…Raven?"

"Raven?"

"The one you would call Mystique."

Storm paused, then said, "We don't have her whereabouts. I'm sorry."

"Fine. Finding Kurt after all these years is better than finding no one. He is…grown up."

Storm offered him a smile. "He is a fine young man, Azazel. You should be proud of all he's accomplished."

The man's chest puffed up a bit.

"Is that really all you're doing?" she boldly asked. "Just keeping an eye on him?"

He nodded.

"Why not just stay with us? Become a teacher like Dr. McCoy or myself?"

"I've had past discretions with Xavier. We were on opposite sides of the board once."

"And now?"

He didn't answer at first, just turning to look around Kurt's room. "It can be hard to forgive past sins."

"If you keep proving yourself to Kurt like this, I'm sure the Professor will not judge. We—and by 'we' I mean the Professor, Logan, and I—are merely nervous of your intentions."

He smirked. "My intentions are to watch over Kurt and make sure he is a good man in the end. I would rather have the bamfs do that than…than spy on him from a tree every day."

"Fair enough, but you could keep a better eye on him if you came out of the shadows and became the father he needs."

Azazel looked at her with those piercing blue eyes. It almost looked like he was suspicious. Then, he sighed. " _Nyet_ now. I will continue to watch from afar. At least tell Xavier he can relax; I'll let the red bamfs come home to me, so it will only be the blue ones running around here."

"Then I hope you at least take the time to consider the offer. I think it would make Kurt feel…happy to have his real father around."

Azazel nodded. "I will think about it."

With that, the red mutant 'ported away, leaving Ororo alone with the little bamfs crawling around and wrestling on the floor of Kurt's room.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Daddy Azazel is my boo. I don't care if he's as OOC as Trigon being an actual dad to Raven from the Teen Titans (which is something I can't get behind even though it's pretty much the same thing in this story). I will keep entertaining this idea until the end of time :3  
**_

 _ **And the bamfs are failed clones. Not Hell maggots like their canon selves.**_

 _ **Next chapter, Kurt and Amanda take a walk after Prom, but it seems they won't be alone...and Logan finally enlists the help of his personal bamf, Whiskey, in search of something important.**_

 _ **Til next time, folks!**_


	7. Seven: Kidnapped

**_Got some drama this time~! Let's get the ball rolling!  
_**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Seven: Kidnapped_**

"Kurt, you look so handsome in that suit," Amanda complimented. "Where did you find it?"

Kurt, now undisguised, blushed a deep purple. He and Amanda were sitting on a bench in the park, enjoying the night. He'd told Kitty he'd teleport Amanda safely home after their walk, then 'port himself back to the mansion. "The bamfs delivered it to me," he said.

"The bamfs? Oh, those little blue things that run around the mansion! The mini-Kurts!"

Kurt chuckled. "Keety calls them that, too. But do you think they are cuter?"

"Definitely." At Kurt's confused gaze, she smiled. "They can be cute all they want. You're handsome and adorable."

She kissed him on the cheek. His tail wound up her leg, making her giggle. "Kurt! You devil!"

"That's me, the fuzzy blue devil who tickles angels into submission!" His tail began to tickle her thigh and she gasped in laughter.

Amanda kept laughing before she finally managed to pry off the spaded appendage. She looked at it, then turned serious. "I wish…I wish my parents could see how great you are. That you _aren't_ the devil they see."

Kurt shrugged. "I suppose after all the years of getting stared at like that, their reaction vas nothing new. I'm just glad _you_ don't think that vay."

Amanda snuggled up close to him. "I would never do that. I call you a devil in fun, but if you feel uncomfortable about it, just tell me and I'll stop."

"Vhen you say it, I don't feel bad. I feel…almost normal."

They sat there under the moonlight for a while, completely silent, enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the trees, two people stared at the couple.

"Damn," one swore. "That one looks just like the one we lost!"

The other looked at his computer. "News reports say his codename is Nightcrawler. He's a teleporter, just like subject 296."

"You think maybe them two is related? Like Daddy and Son?"

"Gotta be. He looks just like the failed clones."

"So then… _something_ had to've worked to make him that big. What'd we do wrong?"

The one with the computer looked at the couple again. "Maybe it has something to do with the females. All the clones we made were directly from subject 296, with nothing else to help them along. What if…what if we use genes from a female subject?"

"I don't follow." The first man scratched his head, confused.

"You don't have to. You aren't a scientist. You're just the catcher. And your new job is to catch those two."

"Both of 'em? But the girl's a normal human, ain't she?"

"We need her for possible extra experiments, in case this new subject can't supply us with better clones."

"Whatever you say. As long as I don't get burnt for huntin' a normal girl for the Friends of Humanity's cause."

"Should repercussion's happen, your name will not be dropped."

The man grunted, then hefted a large tranquilizer gun. He'd been informed that due to subject 296's high metabolism, normal tranqs for a human wouldn't work that well. He'd have to use elephant-sized darts or more. He assumed this teleporter presented the same problem.

Aiming carefully, he took the shot.

* * *

The dart landed on Kurt's neck, making the mutant slap his neck as if he'd been stung by a bee.

The effect was instantaneous. Kurt's vision doubled and blurred. Colors faded in and out of view, even ones that didn't exist. He mumbled something that sounded like he wanted a "burger-yodel-hosen", then crashed to the ground.

* * *

"Kurt!" Amanda bent down to help her boyfriend up. He was now unconscious, snoring loudly. "Kurt, wake up! What happened?"

Something sharp pricked her neck. She froze.

"Come quietly, girl, and we won't hurt you or your pet."

A gag was shoved into her mouth and her hands were tied behind her back. The sharp object—a knife, probably—stayed on her neck as she was led out of the park and shoved into a black van. Once inside, the gruff man that had taken her tied up her legs.

Two minutes later, a smaller man heaved Kurt into the van. The boy groaned, but didn't wake up as his deformed hands and feet were tied up like Amanda's. The first man tied the tail around Kurt's neck, loose enough for the boy to breathe, but tight enough to prevent escape.

The smaller man huffed and puffed, clearly out of breath. "I didn't think the Nightcrawler would be that heavy."

"He's all muscle," the gruff man said. "Must be quite the fighter."

"Must be the genetics," said the smaller man. "Subject 296 had a similar build."

The same man turned to Amanda. "Sorry about this, my dear, but it's for the best. We can't have you yelling for help, can we? Besides, if lone cloning doesn't work, we might need another subject to help ease the process."

He nodded to the gruff man, who came forward and knocked her on the head. She slumped forward, sprawling over Kurt, unconscious.

* * *

"I see one of ya," Logan growled as he entered the living room after a good late-night Danger Room session. "Where's the elf?"

Kitty, sitting on the couch in her pajamas with Gordy curled on her lap, shrugged. "He said he'd catch up after walking Amanda home."

Logan rolled his eyes, then looked at the clock. "It's almost midnight. I don't think the girl's curfew is this late."

Wolverine left the room and started sniffing around. Furball, Kurt's personal bamf, was curled up on the stairs, as if it had been waiting for Kurt to walk through the front doors. That indicated the teen wasn't home yet.

Logan poked around the mansion some more, hoping maybe someone had seen Kurt or heard from him. No one who was awake enough to answer questions had.

Finally, Logan tracked down 'his' bamf, Whiskey. That thing had a better nose than anything except Wolverine himself. If it could track down hidden whiskey, it could track Kurt.

Logan found Whiskey lying on his bed, curled around a half-empty bottle. Logan growled, "Dammit, rat! I told you, if yer gonna drink my stuff, ya gotta put it back where ya found it!" He picked Whiskey up by the scruff like a kitten. "I hide the stuff for a reason, you overgrown hamster."

Whiskey grumbled and clutched its head. Logan dared to smirk. "Got a hangover, do ya? Serves you right. I got a job for you, though, so pay attention. I need you to find Kurt."

At once, Whiskey snapped into focus. Its yellow eyes glowed in anticipation, ready to receive orders.

"Find his scent," Logan ordered. "I know you rats can find each other and Kurt and even track your own 'port locations. Take me to 'im."

Whiskey clutched Logan's arm and 'ported around. It stopped every few 'ports to sniff the area, then resumed the jumps. So far, it'd gotten a scent in Kurt's room, in the Danger Room, at the school, and finally at the park.

"Bamf," it announced, pacing across a park bench. Logan didn't need to speak bamf to know what it had meant. _End of the trail_.

Logan took in the scents of the area. Kurt had definitely been here. His girl had, too. _So, where'd they go?_

Whiskey's tail lashed, which meant it was agitated. "You sure he didn't 'port away—"

That was when he smelled it. Human scent—two males. And…what was that? It smelled like…

Logan poked around the grass near the bench until he found it: a tranquilizer dart. "Enough to take down an elephant, by the looks of it," Logan muttered. "Must'a hit the elf. He'll have one hellava headache when he wakes up."

He found a faint, yet fresh, scent of the two humans from earlier. They were mingled with Kurt's. The scents led to a road, where someone had squealed their tires to get away faster. Logan snarled.

"Whiskey," he yelled. "Go back and lead the X-Men here. I'm goin' ahead!"

The bamf immediately disappeared. Wolverine began running down the street, trying to get a good idea of where a mutant kidnapper would go.

* * *

Of course, Whiskey did not jump to the X-Men first. Its orders were to go to Azazel before the X-Men should Kurt be in danger. Whiskey figured this qualified as danger.

Whisky 'ported into the safe house Azazel had made for himself, squeaking and flailing in alarm. The bamfs in the house began to swarm in agitation.

The red mutant finally shuffled out of his room, his hair mussed from sleep. "What on earth has got you all riled up this early?" he demanded.

"Bamf! Bamf, bamf! _Bamf!_ " Whiskey explained.

Azazel snapped awake. "What?! When and where?"

"Bamf! Bamf!"

It was the fastest the man had ever gotten dressed in his life. Within a minute, he had changed out of his silk pajamas and into a fresh suit, grabbed twin sabers, and 'ported to the park Whiskey had mentioned. His personal army followed close behind.

Azazel sniffed the air. Wolverine had been here already. The red mutant turned to Whiskey, who had led him here. "You. Go get the X-Men now. That is what Wolverine had told you, _da_?"

Whiskey _bamfed_ away, ready to try and make the X-Men understand the danger Kurt was in.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Oh dear! It seems our favorite fuzzball is in trouble! Tune in next time to find out what has happened to him and Amanda.  
**_


	8. Eight: Imprisoned

**_No Creed as of yet, I'm afraid, but that doesn't mean he won't get involved in the future!  
_**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Eight: Imprisoned_**

Amanda woke with a searing headache. She clutched the bump on the back of her head and winced. "Ow…"

She looked around. She was sitting in a soft bed surrounded by silken curtains. The walls were bare, and there were no exits save one metal door. A TV stood on a stand in front of the bed, and a desk held a little computer.

"Where am I?" she asked the empty room.

The metal door opened. The same small man that had kidnapped her entered the room. "Good morning, dear. Glad to see you're finally up. You've been under for quite a while."

Amanda remembered the kidnapping and glared at the man. "Who are you? Where did you take me? What have you done with Kurt!?"

"Kurt?" The man had a puzzled look for a few moments, then nodded. "Ah, yes. The blue devil mutant. Quite the specimen, I must say."

"What have you done to him?" Amanda demanded.

"We're merely holding him for cloning experiments," the man said. "By the way, my name is Dr. Jared, since you _asked_."

"Cloning? Wait…aren't you the guy from the protests?"

Dr. Jared smiled. "Why, yes I am. I'm not one of the big voices, but I do love to join the rallies. I'm the lead scientist and small advisor for the Friends of Humanity."

"Friends of…you're a part of that mutant-hating group?" Amanda spat angrily. "Why would mutant-haters try to clone a mutant?"

"To fight them, of course." The scientist shrugged as if it were obvious. "Since normal humans don't stand a chance against powerful mutants, we have to compensate. Sure, Mr. Trask is working on his Sentinel project, but our team is trying something more organic, albeit time-consuming. Unfortunately, all of our previous experiments on a teleporter failed. Perhaps your boyfriend can help us more."

He smirked. "And if _that_ fails, there's always _another_ way to clone someone. It's the slowest way, but might pay off in the end."

Amanda did not like the tone of his voice. It was very dark and knowing, like he knew the punch line to a terrible joke and was just _itching_ to tell it. "I-If you hurt Kurt…" she tried to say.

"Don't worry about him, my dear," the scientist said. "You can see him when we don't require him. Channel 1 shows his security camera. It'll be static when he's moved for experiments, but he'll always return to that spot. Guaranteed."

To demonstrate, he took a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. The TV flickered on and immediately turned to the first channel. Amanda's heart broke.

Kurt was in a tube, floating in strange green liquid. An oxygen mask was strapped to his face, and other tubes and wires poked through his arms and legs, with monitor wires on his chest and head. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful, as if asleep.

Amanda looked away. No. She couldn't watch Kurt like this. It was way too painful.

"There, there," the scientist cooed. "You'll get used to it, my dear."

"Why me?" she nearly screeched. "You told me why Kurt, but why _me_?"

"Well, we can't have witnesses to the kidnapping we'd done. We don't need you blabbing to the world that the F.O.H. is nabbing mutants off the streets for cloning experiments, do we?" He smirked. "And, well, we do believe you'd be better off here, where we can keep a close eye on you in the coming months."

He looked at his watch. "Whoops. Almost time to begin. Our young Nightcrawler is about to undergo his first DNA extraction. New subjects are always so exciting!" He turned around and headed out the door. Amanda went to follow but he shoved her back. "No, no, dear. You have to stay here. There's a bathroom behind a hidden door on that wall—" He pointed to one of the bare walls. "—and should you need food or drinks, or even extra pillows, don't hesitate to order them with the computer. If you behave, we might even let you go online with supervision."

"You can't do this to us," Amanda protested. "It's violating our rights!"

"What rights? Human rights?" Dr. Jared's whole face turned red and he glared daggers at Amanda. "That _thing_ you call your boyfriend is the furthest from human, so why should he have the same rights? And as for you…You forfeited your human rights the moment you decided to consort with that beast."

The door was only opened up to a crack now, and before it closed, Amanda heard him say, "Enjoy your new home, mutie-lover."

* * *

The trail Wolverine had followed had somehow gone cold. How, he would never know. He'd found the van easily enough. It stank of Kurt and Amanda. But their scents disappeared in various directions, as if the kidnappers were expecting a feral tracker.

The mutant growled in frustration, and was just about to cut the van to ribbons with his claws when a _bamf_ resounded nearby. _Elf? Did he escape?_

A sharply-dressed man stepped out of the shadows of the new morning, his red devil's tail swishing back and forth. His blue eyes were narrowed in anger. More _bamfs_ sounded behind him, and a hoard of swarming red creatures writhed behind the red mutant.

 _Definitely not the elf…Of_ course _his old man wants to have a chat!_

"Look, bub, I don't want any trouble," he attempted.

"Nor do I," the man growled. "But you seem to be on the track to finding my _syn_ first, so I am here to help."

"How'd you know the elf was missing?"

The bamfs behind Azazel all growled, letting Logan know they were still there. Wolverine internally cursed. "Whiskey went to you first, didn't he?"

"Perceptive," Azazel praised. "You grew a brain since last I saw you."

Wolverine growled. "Watch it, bub. I can still tear you a new one."

If this concerned the red mutant, he didn't show it. He merely crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "If you're done making empty threats, can we get back to my missing _syn_?"

"You got any ideas on where to go next? Cuz the trail went cold around here."

Azazel paced around a bit, inspecting the area around the van. The bamfs circled as well, mostly keeping an eye on Wolverine. One bamf 'ported inside the van and began snooping. It came out and handed Azazel a little Velcro patch.

Azazel's face went from calm to angry within milliseconds. He began cursing in Russian, spitting angrily at the Velcro patch in his hand.

"Care to share with the rest of the class, Red?"

He looked at Wolverine, hate still present in his blue eyes. "It seems the Friends of Humanity have captured Kurt."

"The anti-mutant group?" Logan's claws slid out.

Azazel nodded. "They're the ones who had captured me years ago. They certainly know how to keep a teleporter imprisoned."

"How?"

"Drug them. Keep them asleep. Can't teleport while asleep—unless one sneezes, but that's not possible in a vat of liquid."

Logan was not liking that description. It was reminding him of the Weapon X memories. "So where'd they go? Can't imagine they learned how to teleport with Nightcrawler unconscious."

Azazel smirked. "You say the trail went cold. It's because they had secret tunnels under the city. I came out from one not far from here. Must be another entrance close by." He snapped his fingers. A couple of bamfs jumped around and started sniffing.

"Where'd you get those, anyway?" Logan asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"They are clones," the red mutant explained. "Failed experiments. They were meant to be clones of me, but all that incompetent lab managed after nearly two decades was changing their color from red to blue."

Wolverine shook his head. "Great. And _why_ would an anti-mutant group—?"

"Ha!" Azazel pressed down on one of the alley bricks nearby. A doorway opened up, revealing stairs leading down. The man turned and smirked. "I will answer more questions _after_ we rescue _syn_."

"Not gonna wait for the rest of the X-Men?"

"Too slow. Every moment means more pain for Kurt. I know what they do to mutants down there."

Logan shrugged. He slashed his claws once across the wall, then made an arrow pointing to the staircase. "Fine. Lead the way, Red."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yes! A Woleverine and Azazel team-up! Nothing will possibly get slashed :3  
**_

 _ **Also, sorry for the lateness in posting. I'd had this written out, and I'm almost done with chapter nine, but for some reason I didn't post this :/ Silly me.**_


	9. Nine: Escape

**_Still no Creed, but he'll make an appearance soon. We do get someone out of danger, though!  
_**

 ** _Wolverine saves the day~! Sorta. Well, he saves someone._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Nine: Escape_**

Wolverine sniffed the air. He couldn't grab the elf's scent, mostly because Azazel was in the way, and the bamfs didn't help, either. They'd found the entrance to the labs and teleported inside, with bamfs taking out security cameras before they were seen.

"So, Mr. I-been-here-before," the older mutant growled as they came to an intersection. "Where are they holdin' Nightcrawler?"

"It's been a while, so give me a minute." Azazel tilted his head this way and that. Wolverine tapped his foot in his impatience. Finally, the red mutant pointed to the left. "That way is the direction of the labs." He glanced to the right. "There's something that way, though. Someone who also requires rescuing."

Wolverine growled in annoyance. "If this is a trap…"

"If this were a trap, I'd be here with more than just the shortest X-Man," Azazel snapped. "The bamfs and I have never been down that way, so we can't teleport down there. I will rescue Kurt. You get the one trapped down there." He pulled out his twin sabers and 'ported away, signifying the end of the discussion. The bamfs followed soon after.

Wolverine really didn't like it when that happened. He had a feeling all the action would be the other way. And since Azazel wasn't here, he felt like he wanted to hit something even harder.

Halfway down the hall, he smelled it. The scent of a girl was nearby. He followed it, knowing it belonged to Nightcrawler's girlfriend. _What's she doing here, though? What use is she to the Friends of Humanity?_

Wolverine racked his brain, suspecting maybe the elf's girlfriend was actually an anti-mutant spy and that she had gotten him kidnapped. He quickly let that sit in the back of his mind. _Don't dwell on what it could be. There's no proof she's bad. Save the claws for the adults._

There was an armored door at the end of one of the side halls. Amanda's scent was pooled around it. Wolverine stuck his ear to the door, barely hearing the girl's sniffles. He could smell something else, too. _She's sick_ , he realized.

Wolverine slid his claws out and slashed the door's hinges. He pulled the door free with a grunt and set it against the frame on its side.

Amanda was sitting in front of a television in a well-furnished room, still wearing her prom dress. A bathroom door was left open, and Logan could smell the vomit from his position. He approached slowly, trying not to make her scream.

Currently, the girl was facing away from the screen, her cheeks stained with tear tracks. Her head blocked Logan's view of the screen, but whatever it was showing must be making the girl sad.

Suddenly, she noticed Logan was in the room. "M-Mr. Wolverine," she gasped. "You're here?"

The mutant walked over and pulled her up into a standing position. "You okay, kid? What'd they do to you?"

"Nothing," she said. "At least, I don't think they did anything."

"You're sick." Logan sniffed the air, confirming it again. "They feed you anything bad?"

"No…" Amanda wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. Logan awkwardly patted her head. "I'm so scared," she cried. "They're holding me here because I love Kurt! And…K-Kurt…!"

Logan looked at the TV screen. Kurt was floating in a tube of green liquid, wrapped in bandages and hooked up to a bunch of wires and tubes. The bandages looked fresh, and some were even stained lightly with blood. He growled, which made Amanda flinch.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "Kurt's old man'll get him."

"His dad? What—"

Logan led her quickly out of the room and through the maze of hallways. "No time to explain now. I'll get you outside, where there should be some backup. They'll protect you while I chase down Red and help him get Nightcrawler."

* * *

Whiskey had found the other blue bamfs first when he'd returned to the mansion. Furball freaked out and 'ported around the place, waking up everyone, including the professor.

Arthur, the professor's bamf, calmly brought Whiskey to the professor for mind probing.

"Oh dear," he said when he found the memories of finding the end of Kurt's trail, followed by telling Azazel. He reached out to Storm, Cyclops, and Jean, telling them telepathically to suit up and get to the X-Van. _"Kurt's been taken. Wolverine is already on the scent and found a location."_

Five minutes later, all of them were piled into the van, clicking on their seatbelts. The professor sat shotgun, his wheelchair at the ready in the back. Arthur, Whiskey, and Furball sat in it, agitated.

As they drove for the park, Cyclops asked, "Why was Kurt taken?"

"I don't know. Someone took him down with a tranquilizer. That's all Wolverine figured out at the scene before Whiskey came to us."

"What about Amanda?" Ororo inquired.

"We have to assume she was taken, as well."

Jean glanced at the three bamfs in the back. "What about…the guy that rescued Kurt? This 'A' guy—the one who sent the bamfs. Does he have something to do with this?"

The professor looked at Storm in the driver's seat for a moment, then sighed. "'A' stands for a man named Azazel. He's Kurt's father."

Jean and Scott both gave him confused looks. "His father?" Cyclops asked. "How do you know?"

"There's quite the resemblance, physically. Kurt's teleportation was inherited, as well."

"I talked with him earlier," Storm confessed. "I was going to tell you when Kurt returned, Professor. Azazel doesn't seem to have evil intentions toward Kurt."

"And yet now we find Kurt missing," Cyclops said with disdain.

"Through no fault of Azazel's," Xavier confirmed. "Whiskey's mind showed proof of this."

"Bamf!" Whiskey shouted from the back. The professor read its mind.

"Right here," he announced. "The bamfs will track them from here."

Whiskey and Furball shot out of the van, sniffed around, and began to circle the park. Suddenly, Whiskey 'ported down the street and began waving its pudgy arms. Furball jumped further down.

"Follow them," Xavier ordered. "Keep at least one of them in sight when you drive!"

Storm squealed the tires as she raced towards Whiskey. Cyclops, Jean, and Xavier all held on as the van violently pitched on the sudden turns. After so many times, Scott looked like he was about to throw up.

At once, the two bamfs landed on a white van, holding up their hands to signal Storm to halt.

The X-Van stopped and everyone shot out. The bamfs 'ported the wheelchair out, then the professor was 'ported into it, courtesy of Arthur.

"Wolverine was here," Jean announced, running her hands down claw marks scored into the wall. "He marked an arrow pointing…there!" She gestured to a staircase going down below street level. "He went down there!"

Storm and Cyclops were just about to run down the stairs when Wolverine appeared, gently—but hurriedly—guiding a very-shaken Amanda up the stairs.

Jean rushed to Amanda, taking the poor girl from Wolverine's arms. She had a haunted look in her eyes, like she didn't know where she was. "Amanda," she said gently. "Amanda, can you hear me?"

"Y-Yes…" came the soft reply. "K-Kurt's still in there."

"I know," Wolverine said. "Red's gettin' him. I'm givin' him five more minutes before I storm down there myself and—"

 _BAMF!_

Azazel had teleported right in front of Storm, making her flinch. Kurt was in his arms, groaning in pain. He was covered in bandages, shivering from his wet fur being exposed to the cold night air.

"Take _syn_ ," the red mutant ordered. "I have unfinished business."

As Storm allowed Kurt to lean on her, Logan grabbed Azazel. "What the Hell do you think yer doin'? We got the elf and his girl. What else do you—?"

"You see those bandages?" Azazel growled. "Cloning process has already begun. I must remove samples once and for all."

Without another word, he jumped away. Logan coughed in irritation, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the sulfurous smoke.

"Dammit," he swore. "Red went rogue."

"Can we worry about Azazel later?" Scott yelled. "Kurt needs help!"

Xavier watched as Storm gently settled Kurt into the open back area of the van. Amanda sat down next to him, putting his head in her lap. Jean sat on the other side, gingerly checking under the bandages. Kurt moaned and opened one eye.

" _Was_?" he rasped. "Vhere am I?"

Amanda stroked his wet hair softly. "Shh," she cooed. "It's okay, Kurt. You're safe."

Xavier wheeled close to the back of the van and held two fingers to his temples. " _Kurt_ ," he said in his mind. _"Sleep. Rest and allow your body to heal."_

 _"It hurts,"_ Kurt thought.

" _I know. Allow me to put you deeper into your own mind. When you wake, you won't be in as much pain. We're going to get you to Hank as fast as we can."_

 _"Okay…"_ Kurt's mind drifted, and Charles gently put it deep into his subconscious. Kurt's body relaxed, and his breathing evened.

Jean glanced up at the professor. "Is he…?"

"Asleep," he confirmed. "Let's get him to the institute."

"What about Azazel?"

The professor shook his head. "Kurt is the priority. At the moment, we have no reason to distrust that man. He's rescued Kurt twice, and as much as I don't like it, we have to trust him."

Logan growled behind him. "I won't trust 'im 'til I see 'im back up here."

"Are you comfortable with going back down there and getting him, then?"

"What for? To stop him from destroyin' the elf's DNA stuff?"

"No. Let him do that. Make sure he's not killing. Those scientists may not be innocents, but the X-Men don't allow people to murder for revenge, if at all."

Wolverine nodded. "Gotcha, Chuck." He nodded to Storm. "Wanna come along?"

Storm glanced at the entrance. "I usually don't do underground missions, but…I'll go."

The two headed back underground, ready to stop Azazel from killing anyone. Well, Storm was ready. Wolverine felt like sticking his claws in a person now that he'd seen Kurt…

* * *

 _ **A/N: Next up is Azazel's POV. We'll see how he rescued Kurt, and Storm and Wolverine will catch up to him. But will they be too late? Tune in next time!  
**_


	10. Ten: Change

**_Protective father Azazel is best.  
_**

 ** _That's all I have to say._**

 ** _Also, if Mystique can feel at least_ _a_ little _regret at dropping Kurt over the waterfall in this universe, then I don't think it'd be a far cry for Azazel to want to be a better person after twenty years._ **

**_I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 **Chapter Ten: Change**

Azazel had promised himself he'd try not to be violent. When Kurt had been born, he decided not to be as reckless in the future—for his son's sake. He couldn't change the fact that he was a killer—the consequences of his past would be dealt with in the afterlife, in one form or another. But he would be damned if he didn't try to be a better person—a father—in the eyes of his newborn son.

After waking up in the labs, groggy, scarred (more than usual), and in pain, he made a promise that if he escaped, he would take things slow. He'd get by without killing. Hurting, yes. Killing, no. He'd tried to make that same message clear to the bamfs, as well.

Unfortunately, people hurting his son brought that killing instinct back to the surface. He wanted nothing more than to slice every scientist's head right off.

He was visibly shaking with rage when he remembered coming down to the labs and seeing Kurt in that tube.

* * *

 _The bamfs swarmed through the open door like giant red rats that walked on walls. They began investigating files, smelling liquids in vials, and checking every nook and cranny for cameras and secret doors._

 _One directed Azazel's attention to a large tube filled with green liquid. Outside of it was a life support machine. Hooked up to that machine, inside the tube, was Azazel's son. His chest was wrapped in bandages, as was one of his arms. Was that blood he could see peeking through the bandages in some areas? Azazel had no clue, but it pissed him off, regardless._

 _Azazel balled his fist and punched the glass. Cracks appeared. He punched even harder. A spider web of cracks branched out from the first spot. Azazel roared in defiance and punched the glass one last time. The glass shattered, releasing the green liquid._

 _Kurt fell into Azazel's arms. Azazel ripped the monitor wires and electrodes off, and tore the oxygen mask off of his son's face. Kurt gasped, taking in a big gulp of fresh air. Azazel knew he'd been breathing in only a little amount of oxygen, laced with heavy sleeping gas. His son would be woozy for a while, and probably not remember how to breathe correctly at first._

 _Kurt coughed after inhaling too much air at once. Azazel patted him gently on the back, keeping a hold of him. Kurt finally registered him and looked up. His golden eyes were lacking the luster of life, giving off a faint, yellow glow. He groaned in confusion._

 _"Wake up, little one," Azazel whispered. "We must go."_

 _"…hurts," the blue mutant squeaked._

 _"I know it hurts. I went through the same thing. But I did it alone, with no way to know how to leave. You have help. Slow breaths, little one."_

 _Kurt coughed again and weakly clutched his chest, clawing at the bandages. He was shivering, still covered in the green liquid. A couple of bamfs wrapped small towels around him, trying to dry him off. It wasn't working that well._

 _"Breathe in and hold it, Kurt," Azazel ordered. "I will teleport you out."_

 _"…too veak…hurts," Kurt complained._

 _"Your X-Men will be waiting," the red mutant promised, hoping he wasn't wrong and that they were actually near the entrance. "They can help you more than me. But I must take you to them in the quickest way possible. Unfortunately, that means I teleport you."_

 _Kurt's head lolled to his chest. Azazel wound his tail with Kurt's, making the younger mutant look up in quiet surprise. Obviously, no one had done such a gesture with his tail before._

 _"Hold your breath, little one. Here we go."_

 _He wrapped Kurt in a gentle hug, then teleported them back to the entrance, right next to Storm._

* * *

Azazel was back in the lab, now. The bamfs had wrecked the place already, but had missed a few samples. The man took some tubes in his tail and smashed them against the tables. Cables lay sparking around cameras and machines. Glass was everywhere. The bamfs crawled the walls, eager for more destruction.

Azazel caught their eyes. "Find the specimen room," he ordered. "Rescue your brothers. Destroy the rest of the evidence." He held his sabers up. "I'll take care of the witnesses."

The bamfs 'ported away at once. Azazel smashed the remains of the lab before he heard footsteps rushing down the hall. He cocked his sabers and held them in a common stance.

Guards poured into the labs. Armed guards. The mutant smiled. These he could handle not killing. They weren't the ones that hurt his son. Azazel teleported to them and immediately disarmed them. He knocked them all unconscious with their own guns and ran down the hall, shooting off a gun to make sure more people heard him.

Bingo.

Chaos ensued as more armed men ran for him, trying to protect scientists and men in suits. They fell, of course. The lab coats ran for their lives, screaming in fear. Some of them bowled over others in their panic to escape their former experiment's wrath.

Azazel actually recognized one. Memories swirled in his mind. Ones filled with green vision, bubbles, immense pain…and a face that kept scowling at him. One that looked like a child trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle, or maybe an insane Sudoku. Yes, Azazel recognized that face. He didn't know that skinny man's name, but he never forgot that face.

Azazel teleported right to the man and held his neck against one of the blades. " _Dobryy den'_ , Doctor Frankenstein," he growled into the man's ear. "Remember me?"

The man gasped as the sword pressed closer to his neck. "Subject 296," he managed. "Welcome back…" He choked. "Come back for more…? Or did you wish…to share your secret…of proper reproduction?

Azazel was about to slit his throat in anger when he heard a yell from down the hall: "Don't do it, Azazel!"

The red mutant froze as he saw two X-Men sprinting through the unconscious bodies toward him. Wolverine had his claws out, looking for a fight—which Azazel wasn't above giving him, at the moment. Storm, the X-Man he'd talked to hours earlier, rushed behind him, looking highly uncomfortable in the underground environment.

"Killing isn't the answer," Storm protested. "It's not going to help anything."

"Says you," Azazel snarled. "This man kept me caged and drugged for almost twenty years! He performed experiments on me, created clones of me, and has begun to do the same to my _syn_! Retribution is deserved!"

Wolverine looked ready to pounce, but Storm held him back. She stepped closer to Azazel, her brilliant eyes calm and determined. "The X-Men don't believe in killing to get their way. We don't look for revenge, no matter how tempting it is or sounds."

"I am not an X-Man."

"But Kurt is."

That made Azazel pause. His sword twitched away from the man's neck ever so slightly.

"Kurt needs medical attention," Storm continued. "Do you think he cares about revenge right now? Think of the near future; he won't want revenge even then, because that is not how he thinks. You want to be a father to him? Don't waste your chance to prove yourself a better parent than Mystique."

The sword quivered a little. Never before had he regretted the decision to kill a man. "I…I need to do this," he weakly argued. "If I don't…this man will hurt again."

"Not if we hand him over to the proper authorities."

Azazel glanced at Wolverine, who nodded, though the feral mutant seemed a little uncomfortable at the idea as well. It seemed he did not like the pacifist ways, either. That made Azazel feel slightly better.

"Kurt's been hurt by the knowledge of his mother being a terrorist. It tore at his heart to learn that she'd never change her ways. You have the chance to give him _one_ good parent, to be the father he can properly look up to."

Azazel growled to himself as he mulled over this decision. The man that had tortured him for years—the one that had just tortured his son—was in his arms, ready to die! But now…now he couldn't find the strength to slice his throat.

All he saw in front of him was his son, looking at him with hopeful eyes. He smiled and whispered, _You wanted to change…You wanted to stop killing. You can. Let him go._

Storm looked nervous. She knew there were only two possibilities in this situation, and if it went south, she and Wolverine would have to treat him as a criminal. And Kurt—because after tonight, he would find out the truth, one way or another—would possibly go beyond the breaking point with that information.

Wolverine growled low in his throat, his claws poised for striking. He was all too ready for round 2 with Azazel, and this time, he was not hindered by too much whiskey.

 _Please, Father…_

Azazel let out a breath. He withdrew the sword from the doctor's throat, then bashed him in the back of the head with the pommel. The man crumpled in front of Azazel with an audible groan.

Azazel sheathed his swords, but frowned. "I will do it for _syn_."

Logan sniffed the air. "Where's yer personal army? They ain't here?"

"Their orders are to rescue their brethren still trapped in this place and to destroy any remaining experiments in the beginning stages. Especially experiments that have just been started within the last few hours."

Storm held out a hand. "Beast will need your help in the infirmary. You're the only one who knows what Kurt's been exposed to."

"I do not know all the medical terms," Azazel stated. "But…I will help."

He took her hand, grabbed Wolverine (while smiling at the feral mutant's uncomfortable grunt), and teleported into another lab. He signaled his bamfs to finish up and jumped away soon after. The bamfs followed quickly.

* * *

"Since when is it a good idea to get the X-Men involved?" Dr. Jared's boss yelled. "We've been trying to keep this a secret from the big mutant groups, and what do you do? You go and kidnap one of the X-Men!"

"Sir," the scientist defended. "He's a teleporter, like subject 296. We thought he'd be more useful—"

"Your orders were to recapture subject 296!" The figure on the computer screen pinched the bridge of his nose. "To Hell with a beast that resembles him!"

Dr. Jared squared his shoulders. "From the DNA tests we did initially—before the escape—we discovered that the boy is indeed 296's son. Something was done right to create that boy."

"I understand the reasoning, but it was still not the best thing to do! If you were not our lead scientist, I'd fire you."

"We checked to see what genes allowed the growth of Nightcrawler," the scientist continued. "I thought perhaps the mother's genes were the key. Apparently they were."

"What do you mean?"

The doctor pulled out a vial of blood, one that had been in his pocket during the raid. Had Azazel been more observant, he'd have noticed the last piece of evidence that had been on its way to the labs. "This is a vial containing Nightcrawler's blood. In his DNA we found subject 296's DNA, along with the DNA of a shapeshifter. I think you know only one female shapeshifter, sir."

The boss leaned back in surprise. His whole form stiffened. "Her? Nightcrawler is _hers_?"

"It would appear so. And with her DNA, we can unlock subject 296's gene block and create something other than a colorful rat with three fingers."

"Fine. Start on the first clone, then. Just one. We need to observe growth speed and abilities before we can begin making a suitable army. And make sure it's deadly."

"No problem, boss. But, um…we do need a new location now that this one is trashed."

"Of course. Use the one in Jersey. And keep me updated on this new clone. It had better be a good one."

"It will be, sir. It will be."

* * *

 _ **A/N: And you thought everything was good. It looks like bossman finally made an appearance.  
**_

 _ **If you know who it is, then you know why he was surprised at a certain shapeshifter having Nightcrawler for a child. If not, then have fun making the connections in the future.**_


	11. Eleven: Reflect

**_So, Azazel is introduced to a few more people. We get a new bamf.  
_**

 ** _And Kurt's higher than a kite._**

 ** _Enjoy~!_**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Eleven: Reflect  
_**

Rogue was woken up at four in the morning. Not her idea of a great start to the day. There was hurried shouting resounding from the first floor. There had been a commotion earlier, but she had decided not to get out of bed to see what the problem was. She tried to cover her head with her pillow to drown out the yelling this time, but gave up when Kitty phased through her door.

"Rogue!" she shouted. Spook, Rogue's bamf, grumbled in complaint on the bookshelf. Since it couldn't sleep with Rogue for obvious reasons, it had chosen to nest on the top shelf amongst the books.

"We ain't roommates anymore," Rogue complained. "Why are you in mah room now?"

"It's Kurt! Logan went to go find him after he didn't come back with me from Prom and…"

"And what?" Rogue demanded. "What happened to Kurt?"

"He was taken to Doctor McCoy," Kitty managed. "He's hurt really bad!"

Spook growled and 'ported away. Rogue shot out of bed, not even caring that she was heading downstairs in her pajamas.

All of the other students had heard the commotion of the X-Men loudly bringing Kurt in and were pounding down the stairs with Rogue and Kitty. All of them headed to the infirmary.

Wolverine was outside the doors, along with Jean and Scott and all of the blue bamfs—and many more red ones. He crossed his arms. "No one's gettin' in here 'til Hank says so."

"He's mah brother," Rogue protested. "Ah need to see him!"

"There's too many people in there as it is," Jean said. "We'd only be hurting Kurt more if we got in the way. It was hard enough to get the bamfs out of there without Azazel's help!"

"Who's Azazel?" Bobby asked.

Jean held a hand over her mouth. Scott shook his head. "Not the time. Everyone go back to bed. Kurt's out of immediate danger. He's not going to die."

Many students visibly relaxed. Some actually went back to bed. Jean and Scott led the rest of them away, offering to cook an early breakfast to take their minds off of Kurt. But Kitty and Rogue stubbornly sat in the hall, refusing to leave. Spook and Gordy snuggled up close to them—or in Spook's case, next to Rogue—prompting the rest of the bamfs to settle nearby as well. Rogue gave her bamf a smile, taking in the fact that it was the skinniest of the bamfs, and the one that liked to stay in the shadows the most. It was not a fan of touching, which made it a perfect friend for Rogue.

Rogue blinked at the sheer amount of red bamfs in the hall. "Why are there red ones here, now?"

"They're Azazel's," Logan answered, still posted at the door.

"And who's that?"

Logan glanced around, then lowered his voice. "This don't leave the hall until the Prof says it's okay to tell."

Kitty and Rogue nodded.

"Azazel…he's Kurt's ol' man."

Rogue thought she had gunk in her ears. "His…his _what_?"

"His dad?" Kitty nearly screamed. "Like, his _real_ dad? He's here?"

"What's he look like? What's he like?"

"Want a good idea of what he looks like?" Logan pointed to the red bamfs. "Think about a taller, meaner version o' them. He's pretty surly, but…I guess he's tryin' to make up for not raisin' Kurt."

"Why's he just showin' up now?" Rogue asked.

"Not my place to tell you, kid. Just know he's prickly and don't take kindly to anyone bein' near Kurt when the elf's in trouble. Jean said there's too many people in there—that's a big infirmary. Truth is, Red's not lettin' anyone near the elf that ain't essential to helpin' him."

Rogue did not appreciate that one bit. "Ah'm his sister! And Ah'm gonna see him _now_ , if he's really outta danger!"

She barreled past Wolverine, who decided it wasn't a good idea to get brushed by Rogue's bare skin—she hadn't put on anything over her pajamas, which exposed a lot of skin compared to her daytime outfits. He did, however, stop Kitty with a grunt. "Let her go. If anyone can take down Azazel by surprise, it's her."

Rogue nearly ran into Beast immediately. The older mutant reeled back in alarm, clearing his throat. "Oh, Rogue! You startled me."

"Where's Kurt?" she demanded softly. "Ah wanna see him."

Hank nodded. "I was actually coming out to tell anyone waiting to come in one at a time. We've got him stable, with fresh bandages and a lot of painkillers pumped in him. The professor is probably trying to keep him from jumping out of bed as we speak."

Rogue immediately felt relieved. Kurt was okay. That was all that mattered. "Then Ah'm first in line ta see him."

"Of course. Just be mindful of…well…"

"Kurt's dad," she finished. "Yeah, Ah know he's in here. Only other person that knows it Kitty."

Hank looked surprised for a second, then sighed. "Well, please keep that a secret for a little bit. The professor wants to wait until Kurt is ready before we spring the news on the rest of the institute."

Rogue walked past him and threw back the curtain separating Kurt from the world.

Kurt was sitting up, propped up with a million pillows behind his back. Bandages wrapped his torso, and an IV drip was hooked up to his arm. The professor was sitting on one side of the bed, his hands in his lap. Something moved in the shadows, but Rogue was too busy looking at her brother to care.

Kurt saw her and gave her a dopey grin. "Roooogue," he called. " _Hallo_ there!"

Xavier chuckled at Rogue's confused look. "There's quite a lot of painkillers in his system right now, Rogue," he explained. "It'll be like he got gassed at the dentist for a while."

Rogue took a pair of the sterile doctor gloves and covered her hands before holding Kurt's. "Hey, Kurt," she said. "You look like yer havin' fun up there in the clouds."

"You're up here, too," he said. "Aren't they _wunderbar_? I taste cherry soda rain!" He giggled like a schoolgirl. "Vhat do you taste?"

Not wanting to let him down, she answered, "Ah'm tastin' blueberry right now."

Kurt hiccupped, causing him to slightly flinch. "Ach, mein tummy hurts!"

"Maybe you shouldn't drink so much cherry soda rain," she offered.

Kurt giggled again.

The professor wheeled around the bed. "Come now, Rogue. I think it's time we let Kurt rest. Kitty would like to say hello as well."

"One moment, then," she said. Rogue turned her head to the shadowed part of the room. "You. Yer Kurt's dad, right?"

In the shadows glowed two icy blue eyes. The mutant didn't step into the light.

Rogue continued, "Thanks fer watchin' out fer mah brother. But if you try an' tell me I can't see him when he's hurt…I'll make sure you remember to let me through."

She left the room.

* * *

After she left, Azazel stepped out of the shadows. He glanced at Xavier. "She said her brother. She meant Kurt?"

The professor nodded. "Mystique adopted Rogue, and that was enough for those two to consider themselves siblings."

The red mutant smiled to himself. "She is tough. Good for her. I assume the toughness comes from Raven."

"Well, yes. I suppose it did, but she did not know Mystique had adopted her. Raven had been in disguise until recently. Rogue joined the X-Men after learning this fact."

Just then, a young girl burst into the room yelling, "Kurt!"

Kurt grinned again, turning his head to see the newcomer. "Keety! You missed it; I had cherry soda rain vith Rogue!"

Kitty looked confused for a moment, then giggled. "Wow. Doctor McCoy's really got you doped up, huh, Fuzzy?" She patted him on the head. "Do you, like, feel any pain?"

"Vhy vould I feel pain?" Kurt asked, his dopey grin still plastered on his face. "I feel like dancing vith the birds up here in the clouds!" His forearms lazily lifted up and swung back and forth a little. "All the pretty little birds _und_ angels _und_ balloons…" He giggled, staring off into space. "So pretty…"

"Geeze, you're higher than a kite, Fuzzy," Kitty commented, highly amused. "I hope you get better soon, though. We'd all love to see you prank Jamie during the horror movie marathon next week!"

"Horror movie," he slurred. "Grr…"

"Yeah, grr." Kitty giggled, looking at Xavier. "He'll be alright, Professor?"

The older mutant nodded. "In time, he'll be good as new. But for now, he needs rest. Please tell anyone else still wanting to see Kurt that—for the moment—they'll have to do it one at a time."

"Why?"

"Well, for one thing, it's best not to crowd him. You know how he gets when he's vulnerable in a high traffic area."

Kitty remembered that Kurt wasn't very comfortable with moving past the lockers at school when big crowds filed through the halls. He'd said it was because he didn't want anyone to accidentally brush up against his fur, but she knew it stemmed deeper than that. Even in the mansion, if the lounges or kitchen got too overcrowded, he'd be the first to leave. It was the way he was.

"That, and, well…" The professor hesitated briefly. "I assume his recently-acquired guard wouldn't take kindly to too many people, either."

That was when Kitty registered the other mutant in the room. He'd been slightly concealed within the shadows, so he hadn't grabbed her attention. She nearly gasped aloud at the terrifying mutant before her.

If she had thought Kurt had been scary when they'd first met, this guy was way worse. He actually _looked_ like the devil in real life, with red skin and icy blue eyes. A red spaded tail swished in warning behind his seat. The only thing missing was a pair of sharp horns poking through his slick black and grey hair.

The man stared at her with such intensity that Kitty couldn't look straight at him. She shivered in fear, trying not to scream.

"Kitty," Xavier continued. "This is Azazel." The professor looked a little uncomfortable about the red mutant in the room, but didn't say anything else.

Azazel didn't react. He just kept staring at Kitty, as if in study. Kurt made popping noises with his mouth, blissfully unaware of the tension.

Kitty cleared her throat and nodded. "You're Kurt's dad, right? I can see the resemblance." She'd tried and failed to keep her voice steady.

The man gave a curt nod, but did not say anything. Charles coughed. "Yes, well…Kitty, why don't you get back to bed? Logan still has a Danger Room session scheduled with you all this afternoon, and I think he'd like you well rested for it."

Kitty groaned, "Don't remind me…" With a nervous glance towards Azazel, Kitty patted Kurt on the head. "See ya later, Fuzzy. Get well soon, yeah?"

" _Ja, ja_ ," Kurt slurred. "I vill get all the vells soon!" He gave a huge yawn, revealing sharp fangs. "Just as soon as the _schafherde_ stops hopping in front of me…"

Kitty blinked. "The what?"

"Flock of sheep," Xavier translated. "That seems to be a sign that the painkillers' secondary effects are finally kicking in. With all the different medication speeding up his metabolism, he woke up and felt like jumping around like a bouncy ball. Now he should be ready to pass out for the day."

Kurt shook his head. "I'm not tired, Professor," he whined. " _Ich bin nicht müde_." His tail thumped under the covers.

"Little one," Azazel finally said. "Do _nyet_ whine. You are _nyet_ child."

Kurt pouted for a brief moment, making Kitty giggle. _Looks like Kurt's gonna have a run for his money with his dad._ She left the room on that note.

* * *

Azazel smirked. "She is tough in a different way. Kurt has good friends."

A few _bamfs_ made Charles glance around the room. Furball and a couple of red bamfs crawled around on the floor in front of Azazel. One new blue bamf—one the professor had never seen before—was being supported by the two red ones. Its fur was slightly damp, and it had a green shine to its dark blue fur.

"Ah." Azazel bent down and picked up the new bamf. It struggled a little awkwardly, as if unsure of how to use its limbs. "Settle down," the red mutant cooed. "I will _nyet_ harm you."

Charles was surprised at the delicacy the teleporter used in handling the bamf, almost as if he were handling a baby. "Where did that bamf come from?" he asked.

Without even a glance, Azazel answered, "I ordered the bamfs to find any of their brothers and rescue them. Those in the early stages were to be mercifully destroyed." He stood up and grabbed a towel from one of Hank's drawers nearby, gently rubbing down the bamf. "You must be the only one they could find, _da_?" he asked the bamf.

The little blue creature had stopped wiggling and was now trying to snuggle deep into Azazel's chest. The red mutant smiled. "I know the outside world is cold. But that fur will warm you right up, soon."

"Azazel," Charles said, surprise in his voice.

The Russian turned his head towards Xavier. " _Da?_ "

Charles looked at the soft, gentle caressing of the bamf in Azazel's arms, then at the now-asleep, safe-and-sound Kurt. He thought out his next words carefully. "I…I'm sorry."

"For?"

"For suspecting evil intentions from you." With Azazel, Charles knew bluntness was better. Though the man danced with swords, he did not like to dance around with words. "I had assumed that you were wanting to turn Kurt evil, or—Heaven forbid—hurt him in any way. I was wrong."

The red mutant didn't react. His tail twitched back and forth, but not in agitation. He was curious, so the telepath continued, "Once I'd found out you were Kurt's father, I was very nervous. I was afraid, but not for myself—I was afraid for Kurt. It had nearly destroyed him when Mystique revealed herself as Kurt's mother, and we'd already been fighting her for some time. I had been afraid that if you went to him as you used to be…"

"…then the information of what I was, topped with what Mystique is, would push Kurt past the breaking point," Azazel finished. "I understand your concern. From what I've observed, my _syn_ is strong physically, but his deep subconscious can be as fragile as glass." He stared at Kurt for a minute, then sighed. "I had promised myself when Kurt was born…that I would take things slower, not be so reckless in my jobs. And when I emerged from that lab after nearly twenty years with the little bamfs in tow…"

His hand patted the little bamf on the back. "My life of killing is gone. That Azazel died the moment I got caught. I am seeing this as a new opportunity; a new start with Kurt. I wish to actually be his father."

Charles smiled. "Ororo told me of your choice down in the labs—how you spared that man's life. I think if you keep doing little things like that, you'll prove yourself more than worthy of being his father."

"I will not deny nor forget my past—and our previous encounter," Azazel said, as if gauging Xavier's response. "And when I do tell Kurt what I am to him, I will not hesitate to tell him of exactly what I was." His tail lashed back and forth in agitation. "I trust him to make judgements based on what I will do, not what I had done twenty years ago."

"And I believe Kurt will do just that," Charles agreed. "He's a fine young lad, and even Mystique can see that."

At the mention of the shapeshifter, Azazel stiffened a little. "Do you…do you know where…?"

"Sadly, no. I'm sure if she had been nearby, you would have found her before me."

Azazel seemed content with this answer, for better or for worse. The bamf, still curled up against his chest, squeaked and shivered. Azazel's tail rose up, the tip gently wrapping around the bamf's stubby tail. "There, there," he whispered. "You are like newborn—small and fragile, new to the world. But you have many siblings to learn from. Many brothers to help you find your way."

"If this is what you're like with the bamfs," Charles commented, "I'd be curious to see how you would have raised Kurt."

"If we are honest, it probably would not have gone well." Azazel shifted on his feet. "When Kurt was born, I said I would go slower, be less reckless. It would be for Kurt's sake, since I did not want him growing up without a father. I still had my mercenary job back then, and was willing to kill to feed my family. Kurt would have had a terrible influence in me."

"Speaking of jobs," Xavier said. _I can't believe I'm doing this._ "Would you like one?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean here, as a teacher. Hank teaches science here to the students who can't blend in enough to go to school. Jean and Scott have a few basic classes of their own, and Ororo teaches some outdoor classes. If you're willing, I can set up a Russian course here at the institute."

Azazel seemed to consider that. "Russian, hmm? I suppose that might work."

"The job would include room and board, though you'd be sharing your meals with the rest of the mansion and not in a teacher's lounge."

"I would prefer to stay in the place I am in now," Azazel stated. "It is a well-guarded secret. And paid-off."

"If that works for you, then we can arrange that." Charles laced his fingers together on his lap. "I won't lie to you: Logan will be keeping a very close watch on you, whether I tell him to or not. And I believe Ororo will as well."

"Who says I mind the weather goddess watching me?" the red mutant said with a sly grin. At the professor's cocked eyebrow, Azazel chuckled. "I am kidding. I did not expect to become a part of Kurt's life here without some sort of watchful eye on me. I don't assume you fully trust me, either. Not after the things I did with Shaw."

Charles was briefly reminded of the CIA incident, where men rained from the sky and agents' throats were slashed open. That had been the first time Azazel had been seen by Xavier's comrades, and they had described in great detail what had happened. "I'm willing to try and start over with you, Azazel," he offered. "For Kurt's sake."

The boy in question mumbled in his sleep. Azazel put the bamf next to him. It sought out Kurt's warmth and curled up next to him, instantly shuffling itself under the sheets. Azazel patted his son on the head, watching as Furball joined the new bamf at Kurt's side.

The red mutant looked at Xavier and nodded once. "For Kurt's sake."

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, Xavier is willing to work with Azazel. At least on a teaching level.  
**_

 _ **Rogue is an amazing sister. Even if it's a step-sibling relationship, I always saw their characters change towards each other when Rogue and Kurt were on-screen together. The dynamic is amazing, and I always see Rogue as the protective sibling, since Kurt is a lot more sensitive than her.**_

 _ **We'll find out where Amanda is in the next chapter, and why she was sick when Logan found her.**_

 _ **In the near future, we'll also find out about Azazel's past before he met Mystique, meaning his time with Shaw and origins. I plan to kind of merge Evo with First Class, obviously. It'll be difficult, but I believe Evo left out enough characters that appear in First Class that I don't need to do much moving. Beast is kinda the only one I have to remove from the First Class situation, since he refused to join Xavier in Evo until he was an adult.**_

 _ **AND CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THIS NEW BAMF? He's fresh out of the tube, so he'd be much like a newborn kitten (yet is the size of a housecat, just like the other bamfs, since they come out of the tubes fully grown). Every time I got to write about him, I just wanted to go 'aww'. I'm fangirling over my own creation, here...**_


	12. Twelve: Sickness

**_Okay, so it ended up not revealing WHY Amanda is sick. But it did expand on it just a tad.  
_**

 ** _Can anyone guess what's going on with her, though? No one's really said anything about her, since I've been focusing on Kurt and Daddy Azazel for a while._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Twelve: Sickness_**

"Is there a Margali Sefton there?" Hank said into the phone.

 _"This is she."_

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to inform you that your daughter, Amanda, is safe and sound."

A sigh of relief could be heard on the other end of the line. " _Where is she?"_

"There was an incident after the Prom," Hank explained. "Someone had kidnapped Amanda and her date, planning to ask for a ransom."

" _Is she hurt? Who is this?"_

"She's not hurt, Mrs. Sefton. I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Dr. Hank McCoy. From the Xavier Institute."

 _"Isn't that the place…?"_ Silence. _"She was with that Kurt child, wasn't she? The X-Man!"_

 _("Honey, why are you yelling?")_

 _("Amanda was taken, but now she's at the mutant place.")_

 _("Excuse me?")_ The phone was muffled for a moment before the second voice yelled, " _Who is this? What have you done to Amanda?"_

Hank quickly and calmly explained what had happened, letting Mr. Sefton know constantly that Amanda was alive and safe.

 _"I told her not to be with that boy,"_ Mr. Sefton growled. _"I knew it would be dangerous for her to hang around—sorry, I just…"_

"No, I understand your concern," Hank said, trying not to push Mr. Sefton further into discrimination. "We had to rush Kurt here, to our infirmary, and Amanda was with the group. Kurt needed medical attention and Amanda told us—specifically Charles and myself—that she would wait until she knew Kurt was okay before going home."

 _"Where is she now? Can I speak to her?"_

Hank gazed around the study. Amanda was in the chair near the door, wrapped in a blanket and asleep. Hank had snuck inside and called her parents before waking her. "She's asleep right now; she's had a very trying night. If you'd like, you can pick her up, or we can have someone escort her home."

 _"I'll pick her up. I don't want her involved in any more mutant troubles!"_

The comment stung a little, but Dr. McCoy didn't say anything. "Alright. She'll be here, waiting."

But Mr. Sefton had already hung up the phone. Hank sighed. It was clear he would be difficult about this situation, but Hank didn't blame the man for his behavior. For one thing, his daughter had gone behind his back and kept up her relationship with a mutant boy he clearly did not approve of. For another, that same boy had seemingly gotten her into trouble, and now she was back at the boy's home without her parents initially knowing. The man had every right to be a little surly.

Hank walked over to Amanda and gently shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes and groaned, "Huh?"

"Amanda," he said softly. "Your father is coming to pick you up, okay?"

"Okay…" She yawned. "How's Kurt?"

"Loopy, but fine," he assured her. "Would you like to see him before you go home?"

"Yes please."

Amanda didn't reach the infirmary, though. She'd made it into the hallway just fine, but before they'd reached the end, she put her hand to her mouth and froze.

"Amanda?"

The girl ran faster than Quicksilver to the nearest open bathroom. She didn't even bother shutting the door as she made a beeline for the toilet and retched. Hank held her hair when he caught up, patting her on the back as gently as he could.

 _Must be the stress of the night_ , he concluded. _Lord knows this kind of worry can do that to a person, especially a normal girl like Amanda._

When Amanda just sat, shuddering, at the edge of the toilet, Hank reached up and flushed away the sickness. "Why don't you stay here," he offered. "I'll go get a thermometer and a few washcloths. I'll also grab some medicine, okay?"

"But Kurt…" That was all she managed before sticking her head in the toilet and heaving again.

"He's stable and resting," he said. "And he wouldn't want you pushing yourself to see him. He'll understand. Are you okay enough to stay in here while I get some needed things from the infirmary?"

Amanda groaned and gave a weak thumbs-up. Hank walked as quickly as he could back to the infirmary to grab what he'd mentioned. He wasn't surprised to find Kurt passed out, with Azazel sitting in a chair nearby, his head drooped low to his chest.

 _Even he needs some rest_ , Beast mused. He thought about giving the red mutant a blanket, but then decided it wasn't worth it. _Azazel would say he's fine and then try to stay awake, which wouldn't be good for him or Kurt._

Movement caught Hank's eye. He finally noticed a few bumps under Kurt's sheets. When he lifted the covers, he was surprised to see Furball, a few red bamfs, and one new blue bamf snuggling against each other and Kurt for warmth. The new bamf was slightly smaller than the others, almost like a runt. The rest clustered around the new bamf more closely, it seemed. Hank put the sheet back down and covered that part of the bed with another, smaller, blanket.

By the time Hank reached the bathroom with the medicine, thermometer, and wet cloths in tow, Amanda had managed to stand up and prop herself up against the sink. She'd obviously washed her face clean of residual sickness, as it was shiny and wet.

"Let's take your temperature," he said, sticking the electric thermometer inside Amanda's ear. When it gave a _beep_ , he pulled it out and read, "101.2. Goodness." He placed the wet rag on Amanda's head and helped her sit down against the bathroom wall. He handed her some pill bottles. "This should help with the fever, and this with your stomach problems."

"Is this bad?" she groaned.

"It's probably just the stress of the night. You've been up a while, and it's been very taxing on you. Just take these and make sure you get plenty of rest when you get home."

She nodded in understanding. "When I get better…can I see Kurt?"

"You're welcome to come here and see him anytime. And I'm sure he'll be back in school and by your side in no time at all."

Amanda sighed. "I really hope he gets better soon….I don't think my dad will let me come see him."

"I'm sure the Professor can convince your father that Kurt needs your support, Amanda," Hank assured her. He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Your father's just worried for your safety, and many fathers lash out at things that seem threatening to their children. Once he sees that Kurt is as harmless as any other potential boyfriend, I'm sure he'll back off a bit."

"I hope you're right," Amanda said in a defeated tone.

Hank placed his hand on her knee. "I'm sorry you're not feeling up to seeing Kurt right now. But I promise we'll let you see him next time—no matter what."

She hugged Beast. "Thanks Dr. McCoy," she mumbled through his jacket. "Can you tell Kurt I'm sorry?"

"You've nothing to be sorry for," he said. "And Kurt will know that, too."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Hank had guided Amanda down to the front doors, where Amanda's father was waiting. The human instantly took Amanda and ushered her away.

Xavier wheeled into the lobby. "A moment, Mr. Sefton?"

Amanda's father paused. "What?" he snapped. "What more do you people want?"

"Just a word. Hank, please take Amanda to the car?"

Beast did as he was told and helped Amanda into her father's van. She looked worried. "What's going on?"

"I'm sure the Professor is just trying to talk sense into your father before he snaps for the wrong reason," Hank said. He handed her a little bucket. "Keep that, just in case you suddenly feel too carsick."

"Thank you."

A few minutes later, Amanda's father walked down the stairs and hopped into the van. He drove away without a word to Hank. Once they'd reached the main road home, he glanced at Amanda.

"You okay, honey?" Amanda was surprised to find his voice so calm, even if it was thick with worry.

"A little sick," she admitted. "But I'm fine. Dr. McCoy thinks it's just the stress of the night getting to me. He told me to get lots of rest and take some pills."

He nodded. "Fine. And…about that Kurt boy…"

"Daddy, it's not his fault! Those men were bad people, but it's not like Kurt dragged me into a fight! They shot him with a dart and kidnapped us both!"

"Sweetie—"

"And now he's hurt because of those bad people, and you're wanting to pin more pressure on him because you think he's bad, too!"

"Amanda—"

"Kurt's not bad, Daddy! He's a gentleman! A hero! I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, so don't blame Kurt for this whole situation!"

"I'm not."

Amanda almost continued her argument, but then registered what he'd said. "You…you're not blaming him?"

"Professor Xavier explained what happened. And he kept putting in what a fine young man Kurt is. I remember what he was like before he destroyed our house."

"Okay, to be fair, that was because Todd crashed in to steal his holowatch."

"Anyway," her father said. "I…I'm willing to give him a second chance, so long as he doesn't hurt you. And he's still not allowed back at the house yet."

Amanda smirked. "So, we can date again?"

"If I find out he put you in danger, so help me, I will skin him and make him our new den rug."

Amanda leaned over and kissed her father. "Thank you, Daddy. I promise you won't regret it!"

"I hope you can keep that promise." He paused. "And when you're feeling better, of course you can go see him. I'd rather give you permission now than have you sneaking off later."

"Because you know you can't stop me from seeing him?" Amanda ventured playfully.

"Because your mother would kill me if I didn't let you go," he corrected. "She wants you to be happy, and though Kurt scares her, she's looking to try again with the boy."

Amanda smiled, happy to know her mother was on board. Then, they crested a hill too fast and her stomach lurched. Her smile disappeared all too quickly as she grabbed the little bucket and heaved.

* * *

Elsewhere, in a small town in Germany, a young man stood outside a trailer. The trailer bordered the grounds of a traveling circus, and painted on the door was the word **_Ringmaster_**. The young man was talking with the ringmaster now.

"What do you mean he's not here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," the ringmaster apologized. "But his parents said he was not going to be performing with us this year. Something about him becoming an exchange student, I think."

The young man hung his head. "He left the country without telling me? Uncool."

The ringmaster gave him a sympathetic smile. "Yes, it was quite a shock when we came into his town and found out our temporary star acrobat was unavailable. I'm sorry your friend isn't here. We all miss him."

The young man sighed. "Yeah. Thanks for the news." He turned and walked out of the circus grounds, sad his best friend in Germany wasn't here. They only met a few times a year, when the circus came to town with an acrobat that only performed in a short period of time in a few select locations. That person was a nice guy, a great friend, and an amazing listener—and now the young man had no one to talk to.

Just then, his cell phone rang. He flipped it open and answered it without checking to see who it was. "Hello?"

 _"Stephan, are you there?"_

He smiled. "Hey, Mom. Good to hear from you. Wait, isn't it, like, 4 in the morning where you are? Why are you up?"

 _"It's your sister."_

Stephan Sefton paled as his mother relayed what she knew had happened to his sister Amanda that night, which wasn't much at all. He didn't really know what an X-Man was, but it sounded like a gang thing, and Stephan didn't want his sister getting involved in a gang war.

"I'll be right over, Mom," he promised. "I'll catch the next flight home!"

 _"Are you sure? Don't you have class?"_

"It's spring break next week," he said. "I'll call my teachers and tell them I have a family emergency. They'll understand, just so long as I come back after break."

After saying good-bye to his mother, Stephan ran back to his apartment, ready to pack a few essentials and leave for America the next morning. He regretted not being able to see his friend, but couldn't dwell on that for long. His sister needed him more than his friend.

And besides, since his friend was an exchange student, he'd probably ended up in England or something. Even if he'd ended up in the U.S., it wasn't like he'd somehow be in Bayville. The world wasn't _that_ small.

No. Stephan shook his head and sighed. He'd worry about his friend when he came back to Germany to finish off the school year. Once he finished his senior year, Stephan promised himself he'd look into visiting his friend, Kurt Wagner—wherever he'd ended up.

But for now, Stephan set his sights on getting back to the States to see Amanda.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Aaaand lookit dat. I managed to get Stephan in on this story!  
**_

 _ **For any who aren't aware, Stephan is the son of Margali, and the beloved step-brother of Kurt, in the comics. He'd gone cray-cray (for legitimate reasons involving complicated spritiy things) and killed a bunch of children, believing them to be demons. Kurt tried to stop him, but ended up snapping his neck and ending his life.**_

 _ **Obviously, this did not happen in the show. I've not read the comic companions to the show (I wish I could get my paws on them) so I'm taking some liberties with Kurt's past in the Evo universe, regardless of how the comics flashback his life (if they do at all). Since Margali was not the one to adopt Kurt, he and Stephan are not step-brothers. But I wanted them to actually know each other, so Stephan is studying abroad in Germany and meets up with Kurt every time he comes to town in the circus.**_

 _ **That's another thing: in the show, there is no mention of the circus, and Kurt had been raised by just two people, not a whole troupe of circus folk/gypsies. I still wanted him to have some circus experience, so I gave him a part-time job in the circus whenever it came by.**_

 _ **One last thing: I know the show was like, early 2000s, but I put it just a little later so I could let the flip phone have a moment. Nothing too fancy, here, just some more advanced technology than what the show sorta had.**_


	13. Thirteen: Slow

**_Just remember that Azazel is way OOC from the comics. He's trying to be not-awkward.  
_**

 ** _Also, I do not claim to know medical science. Technically what I describe could probably be called vivisection, but that seems way too extreme and it just hurts to think about. So, let's just pretend what Hank says is actually a thing and Kurt and Azazel could actually survive it. The beauty of storytelling: with enough imagination, anything in the world you write about is possible._**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 ** _Chapter Thirteen: Slow_**

"Kurt, you know what that pain in your chest and stomach means?" Hank massaged his brow. "It means you're going too fast."

Kurt swished his tail in annoyance. "It has been three days! I can't just sit in bed all day; I need to get up and go!"

"And where do you think you need to go?"

"My room? The kitchen? _Somevhere_ that isn't this blasted infirmary!" Kurt clutched his chest, flinching. A few moments later, he straightened and lifted his chin in defiance.

Hank tried not to strangle this boy. Kurt was one of the most difficult patients, mostly because of his high metabolism and hyperactivity. Sure, he had a higher healing factor than most of the students, but when it came to heavy wounds—or in this particular case, autopsy scars—Kurt still needed at least a week in bed.

Yes, Hank had discovered that under the bandages, Kurt's torso had been cut open in a live autopsy. It hadn't been as thorough as one performed in a morgue, or else they _would_ have a dead fuzzball on their hands, but it had been enough to nearly inflict permanent damage. Normally, an autopsy would have resulted in Kurt's death, but it seemed the FOH knew how to keep Kurt alive during and after the process. And that scared Hank in many ways.

Tissue taken, organs removed or stitched from examination cuts (nothing major like the heart or lungs, thank goodness), and a lot of blood lost had resulted in Kurt's current weak state. Just yesterday, Kurt had still been bedridden with minor painkillers!

"Kurt, I swear I will tie you to your bed if you don't sit down this instant!" Hank growled. "I know you don't like being stuck in one place. I understand that, I really do. But you _need_ to slow down, or else you'll have to stay longer."

"But—"

A _BAMF_ sliced through the air. Azazel suddenly materialized next to Kurt, grasping the boy's shoulder with one hand. "And you are going where?" he asked.

"I just want to get out of this place for a little bit!" Kurt whined.

Azazel met Hank's gaze. "How about I escort him to the kitchen? No teleporting. No running. We go slow."

Hank gave the red mutant a suspicious look. "Kurt needs rest."

Azazel drew Hank aside and whispered, "Obviously he needs to learn patience. I will walk him to the kitchen, let him see how much it hurts to move—let him see what happens when he doesn't give the body enough time to rest." He gestured to himself. "Sometimes children need to learn the hard way."

Hank hadn't had the honor of looking at Azazel's scars from the labs—no one had—but he could guess that the man had gone through much harsher treatments on top of a live autopsy. He finally nodded his consent. "Fine. But if he looks ready to collapse, get him to a couch or a chair and then come get me."

Azazel nodded and stepped back towards Kurt, who had inched himself closer to the door. The red mutant led his son out of the infirmary extremely slowly, letting the boy lean on his arm.

Hank pinched the bridge of his nose. "My fur is going to turn grey," he mumbled. "I need some coffee."

Hank walked out of the infirmary to one of the lounges in the mansion. Only the adults and senior X-Men members were allowed inside, mostly to get away from the hyper children. This particular lounge was Hank's favorite, because it held his coffee maker—the one that made the best coffee in the mansion. It was one Hank held dear, and Lord help any who accidentally break it.

So, imagine Hank's surprise when Pickles, his own bamf, came running down the hall with Hank's precious coffee maker. Three other bamfs—Gordy, Diesel, and Fidget—came barreling after it, holding tools and wearing evil little grins.

"No!" Hank ran after Pickles. "How many times do I have to tell you? My coffee maker is _off limits_!"

* * *

"We go my speed or we do _nyet_ walk, little one," Azazel scolded as Kurt tried to pull ahead.

Kurt was gasping for breath, but his head was high as he trudged onward toward the kitchen. Azazel finally pulled him to a stop.

" _Nyet_." He cleared off one of the hall tables and pushed Kurt onto it. "No arguments. Rest for a moment."

"But—"

Azazel's tail slapped Kurt's. The blue mutant yelped and grabbed his tail in fear. "Vhat vas that for?"

The red man gave Kurt the stink-eye. "I told you no arguments. 'But' is an argument word. I play no games."

Kurt stroked his tail lovingly, as if it were about to fall off. "That's sensitive vhere you hit it."

"I know this." Azazel swished his own tail back and forth. "That's why I did it."

Kurt looked away, still cradling his tail. "Vhy do you care?" he grumbled. "You don't know me."

Azazel sighed. " _Da_ , I do not." He sat on the table next to Kurt. "But I wish to."

Kurt glanced at him, then looked down again. "Vhy?"

"Because I didn't get to see you grow up," the man answered. "I didn't get to help you when you were in trouble as a child. I want to help you now."

Kurt looked at Azazel's tail, which had begun to curl around the man's shoes. Then, he looked at his own tail, a blunt replica of Azazel's. Understanding finally dawned on him. "You…You mean you're _mein_ …"

"I know I cannot be the father you wish me to be. I'm nothing like the one who raised you, and I am _nyet_ a saint. But…I would like to _try_ to know you, and show you I mean no harm."

Kurt was silent for a good minute. Then, he drew in a breath. "Vhy Mystique?" he finally asked.

Azazel chuckled. "Well, when two 'not good' people are introduced to one another, generally they find they have similar passions. Your mother was quite the looker, and she somehow wrapped me around her finger." He scratched his chin. "Normally it is the other way around. I am known to be quite the 'devil' to women."

Kurt gave him a smirk. Then, he dropped it. "Then...vhy are you here? I realize vhy you veren't vith me or my mother for years, but vhy are you here in the mansion? If you are a 'not good' person…vhy are you here now?"

Azazel looked at his knees, then sighed. "I am not as young as I used to be. My killing nature is… _subdued_ , at best. It is not gone. Perhaps I am just too old to care, or maybe the labs took the worst out of me. Whatever the case, when I woke up in the lab, I promised myself I would _nyet_ kill for a living like I did before you were born. I…" He paused, trying to think of the right way to word this. "I want to ask you, Kurt…Judge me on what I do now, and not what I have done decades ago."

Kurt stared at him for a long time. Azazel never knew a time when he had felt so uncomfortable. Well, actually he did—it had been when he was courting Raven. That woman was hard to read, and even harder to please.

After a long while, Kurt finally nodded. He looked at Azazel. "I vill judge you on vhat you do now, _ja_. But, am I allowed to ask you questions about your past?"

"Depends on the question."

"Vhere you vere born? Vhat you did before you met Mother? Who you are?"

"If you could not tell, I am originally from Russia." Azazel smiled, earning one in return from Kurt. "Maybe when you are able to trot down a whole hallway without getting winded I will tell you more."

"Not fair!" Kurt protested.

"Call it a reward for taking care of yourself." Azazel unbuttoned his dress shirt and allowed Kurt to see similar autopsy scars (among other tissue sample scars) on his chest. They were ragged and painful, as if they had not healed right. Some were raised, others looked like they had been infected. "This is what happens when you do _nyet_ take it slow, little one."

Kurt had the decency to look ashamed of himself. His tail lay limp on his lap. "Okay. I vill be good and take it slow…"

Azazel buttoned his shirt again. "Good. Now, let us get to the kitchen. You are hungry, _da_?"

Kurt slowly slid off of the table. "Actually…Can ve go back to the infirmary? I…I'm tired…"

Azazel patted his son on the shoulder. "Fine. But we still go slow, _syn_." The word felt awkward as he said it to Kurt. When he said it to the Wolverine or Storm, it was fine. But actually calling his son 'son' was an awkward thing for the first time.

Kurt looked up at him with big golden eyes, as if studying the red mutant. He gave a shy smile. His tail gently brushed against Azazel's. "Ve vill go slow…"

Azazel wasn't expecting Kurt to call him 'father' or any name close to it. It would take time for the boy to gather up the strength to do so. But the man was very okay with that. For now, they would go slow.

* * *

Pickles, Hank's bamf, clutched its head in annoyance. Beast had conked him and his cohorts good with a wrench (pried from Diesel) as a punishment for stealing the coffee maker. He'd 'ported away before Hank could punish him more—not that he would; Hank was a one-and-done sort of punisher, and he figured one bonk on the head was enough to teach Pickles a lesson.

And Pickles had learned it. It growled and shook its head as it walked outside near the windows of the mansion.

A fluttering noise caught its attention. Pickles looked up and saw a black bird sitting on one of the first level windowsills. It was not looking at the bamf, but inside the window. Pickles hopped up on the windowsill. The bird didn't even flinch.

Pickles looked inside the window. He saw Kurt and Azazel walking slowly down the hall, away from the window. Their tails were brushing, nearly coiling around each other. Kurt leaned heavily on Azazel, shuffling forward, letting the man guide him at an extremely slow pace.

Pickles was startled when the black bird suddenly cawed and flew away. The bamf watched it leave, disappearing into the sky, before turning back to the window. It looked down, fleetingly taking notice of the tear drop stains on the sill as it 'ported away to curl up and rest.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ ** _As of the All-New X-Men (2015), Pickles is a legitimate bamf that belongs to Beast, or rather the Beast from the past pulled into the present with the original X-Men so they could have a better future or something. The writer of the series stated Pickles is his favorite character 100% and is making the artist put him in as many scenes as possible, and has made the bamf a big plot point for the first arc of the series. I'm excited to see how this will go, and have officially given Hank (in my Evo universe) Pickles (who I had originally named Newton). Why? Because if there's a bamf in the real Marvel Universe with an actual name and place, they deserve to be a part of this story as much as Stephan and Azazel and anyone else._**

 ** _And I'm sorry that reveal seemed a little blah. I had no other way to do it, and I'd like to move on. Next up we'll get to see Amanda again, as well as more Stephan!  
_**


	14. Fourteen: Revelations

**_Ugh, finally! I'm so sorry for the wait, guys. Here's a nice long chapter for your patience! I hope you enjoy the reveal of what's been going on with Amanda.  
_**

 ** _And it's in Stephan's POV!_**

 ** _(also, I know Stephan's name is spelled wrong compared to canon universe, but for some reason I feel like the non-German gypsy/circus spelling would be this way, since he_ is _American, after all. Judge me if you wish, I honestly don't care, since it's just his name.)_**

 ** _I own nothing you recognize as canon in any X-Men universe._**

* * *

 _ ***~Because Being Together is Enough~***_

 **Chapter Fourteen: Revelations**

"Amanda, take it easy. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Amanda looked at her brother with an almost crazed look. "I just…I need to see…to make sure he's all right."

Stephan stood beside her and pulled her into a hug. "I know this guy means a lot to you, and that he's been hurt. But slow down, Amanda! You're still sick!"

Amanda pulled away from him. "I've been sick a whole week now," she yelled. "I barely got a few calls to the institute and every time he's been sleeping!" She looked down at her feet. "I just…I just want to see him."

"You keep saying the 'institute'," Stephan said. "Is this the same institute Mom says has all the mutants in it?"

She nodded.

Stephan had been pretty disconnected with the family since he'd started the exchange program in Germany. He called and wrote as often as he could, but still had little to no idea what Amanda had been through regarding her relationship with Kurt and the X-Men. Amanda had told their father and mother to keep silent on Kurt's identity. She'd no idea why; Stephan was a very accepting person. But something told her to wait on telling her brother who Kurt was, or even telling him Kurt's name.

And then he came home and dropped that his best friend, _Kurt Wagner_ , had become an exchange student. "It stinks because I don't know where he went," Stephan had complained. "But I'll have to worry about that when I get back, I guess. You're way more important, Amanda."

So, she decided to keep Kurt's name a secret and surprise Stephan. She'd been hoping to ask Kurt to speak with Stephan over the phone, but with Kurt still sleeping every time she tried to call, it was getting harder to not say his name around the house.

Stephan was 'babysitting' Amanda while their parents were at work. She didn't mind; Stephan was an awesome brother to hang out with, and he always knew how to care for his baby sister. But at the moment Amanda felt like he was smothering her. He wouldn't leave her alone unless she went to the bathroom or fell asleep, and he insisted on keeping her on the couch during the day. Amanda knew where he was coming from, and she still felt like she needed to throw up all the time, but she couldn't wait another day. She needed Kurt.

"If it makes you feel better," she said, "they have a doctor at the institute. He took care of me before Dad picked me up. I can ask him what's wrong while we're there."

That argument seemed to win against Stephan. He sighed loudly, throwing his head back. "You're as stubborn as Mom!"

Amanda smiled. "So are you."

Her brother smirked back. "Fine. We'll go see your boyfriend and talk to this doctor guy, too. But if you feel worse and get stuck over there—"

"I'll make sure Mom and Dad understand that I made you take me," she finished. "And that they don't kill you for taking me so far out of the house while I'm sick."

Stephan visibly relaxed even more at that and left the house to go warm up his rental car. Amanda picked up the house phone and called the institute quickly.

 _"Xavier Institute, Dr. McCoy speaking,"_ came a familiar voice.

"Hello," Amanda said with a smile. "It's Amanda. Is Kurt awake?"

 _"Good to hear from you, Amanda! Yes, he is. He's been wondering when you'd call. Hang on, I'll put him on—"_

"No!" she interrupted. "Um, I mean…I'm heading over and want to surprise him. Is that okay?"

 _"Of course. You're always welcome to come over. I'll make sure Kurt stays awake until you arrive, dear."_

"Thank you. My brother is taking me. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

 _"Alright. See you then."_

Amanda hung up. Stephan entered the house again. "Ready?" he asked.

"Let's go."

* * *

When they arrived at the institute, Stephan's jaw hit the floor. "Your boyfriend lives _here_?"

"Yeah, though it's not _his_ house. The mansion belongs to Professor Charles Xavier. He's the one that runs this place."

Stephan whistled, very impressed. "If your BF can afford to bunk here, I think you might be just fine. Why would you ever come back to the measly old Sefton residence?"

Amanda hit him playfully. "Stop it."

Stephan parked out front and helped Amanda out of the car. "So, am I allowed to meet this guy or do I have to stand guard by the car like a doorman?"

"Yes, you can meet him. I just…" She paused briefly. "Can you promise not to judge?"

"What do you mean?"

"This whole place is filled with mutants," Amanda explained. "And he's…well, he's about as mutant as you can get."

"Amanda, it's not like I haven't seen a physical mutation before. My best friend from Germany is a mutant."

She fake-sighed in relief, knowing he meant Kurt. "Good. Then I think you guys will get along really well."

When they rang the doorbell, it was Logan who answered. He nodded once at Amanda—which she knew was about as welcoming as the man could get—and cocked an eyebrow at Stephan. "Who's this?"

"My brother. He's my chaperone while Mom and Dad are at work. And he's not prejudiced against mutants, Mr. Logan."

The Wolverine nodded and let them in, guiding the Sefton siblings down the hall to the infirmary. Logan knocked on the door. Dr. McCoy answered it. "Got somethin' the elf might like," Logan said.

Hank grinned when his eyes fell upon Amanda. "Welcome back, Miss Sefton! Come in! Kurt's still eating his lunch."

 _Kurt?_ Stephan thought. _So that's his name. Huh…You don't really hear of that many people named Kurt._

Logan placed a hand on Stephan before the young man could enter. The man looked to Hank. "Where's his old man?"

"Out," the blue mutant answered. "He heard Amanda was coming and decided he should not be seen yet."

Logan released Stephan and walked away. Stephan turned to Hank. "What was that about?" he asked.

Hank exhaled. "Kurt's father is very protective and wary of nearly everyone at the moment. You entering right behind Amanda might have spooked Kurt and set his father off."

Stephan gave a nervous smile and tried to joke, "Well, it can't be worse than my dad. He nearly grounded me for two weeks after I brought a cheerleader home. She wore the skimpiest clothes and was trying to hit on me so hard. Dad almost threw her out she was being so rude!"

Hank laughed. "Why don't you come in? I'm sure Amanda must be wondering."

Stephan entered the infirmary, fully expecting Amanda's boyfriend to be covered in eyeballs or slime or tentacles. She'd said he was as mutant as a guy could get, so Stephan's imagination really took that and ran with it.

What he didn't expect was his best friend from Germany to be sitting in the bed Amanda was next to! Kurt Wagner, the amazing Nightcrawler from the circus! "Kurt? No way!"

Kurt looked startled for a moment, then grinned. "Stephan! You're here! How did you find me?"

"I wasn't really looking," Stephan answered honestly. "My mother had called and said my sister had gotten into trouble with her boyfriend and I came back to comfort her. _You're_ her boyfriend?"

Kurt looked at Amanda with wide eyes. " _You're_ his _sister_?!"

She looked away sheepishly. "He came home kinda upset that his best friend had become an exchange student, and when he told me your name, I couldn't resist the surprise."

Stephan laughed. "Small world!" He sat down in a chair next to Amanda. "So, what's up, Kurt?

The blue fuzzball gestured to his bandaged torso. "Oh, you know," he answered. "Vas opened up like a frog in science class. But vill that stop me? _Nein_ , I say!"

They all laughed. "Kurt," Stephan said. "You should have said you were leaving Germany. It's not like you didn't write. And if you'd told me where you were, I could have said 'Watch out for my sister! She might actually crush on you!'"

"Perhaps I would not have been very awkvard vith her at the dance that first night if I'd known you vere her brother," Kurt admitted. He picked at his plate of crackers and cheese.

Amanda held his hand. "Like I said, I didn't know you were Stephan's friend until he came by after all this happened. And besides, he—" She stopped mid-sentence, clutching her stomach. Her hand went to her mouth and she suddenly stood up and rushed to the infirmary's sink. Stephan winced as he heard his sister retch.

"Amanda, are you okay?" Kurt asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"She's been sick this whole time," Stephan confessed. "It's been on and off, though. Sometimes she's fine, other times she can't separate her face from the toilet."

"What's going on?" The doctor had returned. He rushed over to Amanda and patted her back. "Amanda, what's wrong?"

She wiped her mouth. "Ngh," she groaned. "Don't know…"

Hank guided her to a bed next to Kurt and handed her a sick bucket. "Okay. Let's see if I can assess what's wrong, hmm?"

Kurt's tail slithered out from under the sheets and made its way over to Amanda, who grabbed it gently. "Amanda," he said softly. "I hope you feel better soon."

She smiled as Hank took her temperature and blood pressure. "Says the guy who's still recovering from being sliced open," she joked.

"Hmm," Hank hummed thoughtfully. "Normal temperature. A little raised blood pressure, but I can blame that on your sudden rush to the sink just now…" He kept mumbling on as he tried other basic things. "Could I possibly have you…?" He handed Amanda a little cup. "I want to see if you have any sort of disease that perhaps the labs gave you without our knowledge."

Just as Amanda shuffled to the infirmary bathroom, a few _BAMFs_ resounded, and three blue creatures began chasing each other around the med bay. Stephan's eyes widened. They looked like miniature copies of his friend!

"Kurt," he said shakily. "What are those?"

Kurt ignored him, giving the look-alike creatures an impatient glare. "Furball! Pickles! Vhat did ve say? You aren't allowed to play here!"

Two of the creatures halted. The third—the smallest—slammed into the others, going way too fast to stop as suddenly as its predecessors. They all ended up in a squirming pile of blue fur and devil tails, squeaking in discomfort.

Kurt shook his head, chuckling. "Stephan, those are a few of _mein_ …um…brothers? They might as vell be, since they are taken from my father's DNA."

"Why are they so…small?"

"Something to do vith the genes. They aren't exactly human, so ve call them bamfs. Some of us have our own. Dr. McCoy's is Pickles, mine is Furball."

Stephan scratched his head. "How can you tell which is which? They all look the same."

Kurt shrugged. "Some are easy to distinguish. You should see Fluffy _und_ Spook—those two are very different compared to Furball and Pickles. _Und_ Vhiskey is usually seen vith Logan's bottles." He paused. " _Und_ then there's the new one. I think he's a baby. Ve haven't had a chance to name him yet."

"New one?"

The smallest of the three bamfs hopped up onto the bed and wagged its tail. Stephan noticed it had a Sony Walkman hooked up to some headphones in its hand. The headphones were resting on its shoulders.

Stephan frowned. "Is that my cassette player?"

Kurt smiled sheepishly. "I may have borrowed it…"

" _You_ took my Walkman!? _Dude_! I looked _everywhere_ for that last year!"

Kurt tried to pry the player from the bamf's hands, but the tiny creature wouldn't let him. It growled and shoved the headphones on its ears. After a moment of pressing buttons, it closed its eyes and its head began to sway to a smooth rhythm. Stephan tilted his head to look at the Walkman.

"' _Beethoven's Finest_ '. I never had that cassette."

"Might be Keety's or Rogue's," Kurt confessed. "I've 'collected' qvite a few cassettes vhile I've been here."

Stephan gave him an exasperated look, though it was contradicted with a smirk playing on his lips. "So your mischievous streak didn't disappear when you moved?"

Kurt placed a hand over his heart. "As if you could _ever_ assume such a thing of me, _mein fruend_!"

Amanda shuffled back into the room, sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed as the two boys laughed. "What did I miss?"

Kurt patted the little bamf on its head. "I vas just introducing our newest bamf to Stephan. Ve haven't named him yet."

The bamf seemed interested in Amanda, wandering over to her. It squeaked in delight when she began stroking its back.

"He's so adorable! Oh, and he likes Beethoven! How cute!" She snuggled the bamf into her arms and cooed, "You should have a music name! How about Ludwig?"

The bamf squeaked again and wrapped its tail around Amanda's arm. She smiled. "Ludwig it is, then!"

"Vhy Ludvig?" Kurt asked.

"He likes Beethoven," Amanda deadpanned. "Duh."

Stephan stroked the bamf's side. "He is kinda cute. Ludwig sounds like a perfect name for this little guy."

Kurt shrugged. "Vhatever. It's not the vorst name for a bamf." He glanced over at Pickles, who had begun to silently rifle through Stephan's bag. Kurt stayed silent, knowing it was far too late to stop the curious bamf.

Pickles placed a red cap atop its head and 'ported away before Stephan noticed. Furball also jumped away, leaving the group with a sleepy Ludwig.

"By the way, Kurt," Amanda continued. "How are _you_ feeling? Have you been getting restless?"

Kurt smiled. "Much to _Herr_ McCoy's annoyance! I can only valk to the door and back most of the time, but I did manage to get halfvay to the kitchen once."

"Good for you, Kurt. And don't worry about school. You picked a good time to take off, since it's now Spring Break!"

Kurt sighed in relief. "I forgot about schoolvork! _Danke_ for letting me know I don't have much!"

Beast came back with a few papers. He looked beyond uncomfortable, which unsettled everyone (except distracted Ludwig).

"Vell?" Kurt asked. "Vhat's going on? Did they do something horrible to Amanda?"

"I'd honestly like to discuss this with Amanda alone," Hank said. "However, this situation, unfortunately, possibly involves both Amanda and Stephan, as well as the rest of your family."

"Out with it, then," Stephan nearly snapped. "Just say it so we can get through this."

Hank sighed. "It seems Amanda's pregnant."

Except for the quiet hum of classical music reverberating from Ludwig's headphones, the entire infirmary had fallen completely silent.

"Um," Kurt blurted. " _Bitte_ , my English might be failing me…Could you repeat that?"

"He said my sister is pregnant," Stephan yelled. " _Sie ist schwanger, Dummkopf!_ "

The blood in Kurt's face drained away. He laid back against his pillow, utterly speechless. Amanda was shaking, clearly scared out of her mind.

"H-How?" she managed. "How can I be…? Kurt and I never… _I_ never…!"

Hank didn't move from his spot. "Though we'll probably never know why, the FOH possibly impregnated you via artificial insemination. Were there any periods where you lost consciousness? It would have happened then."

"At the beginning, yes," Amanda admitted. "It was when Kurt and I were first taken. By the time I woke up, Kurt was already in the tube, hooked up. I-I don't know how…long I was…o-out."

She started crying. Kurt sat up slowly and hugged her. Stephan stood and walked to her side of the bed, crouching down to hug her, too. It hurt his heart to see his sister so upset. Ludwig squeaked, sensing Amanda's distress. It hugged her waist, its tail gently stroking her leg.

Hank approached slowly and crouched down, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Amanda, I know this is a very hard thing to swallow. If you'd like, I can do a procedure to remove—"

"No," she said quickly. "I won't abort."

"But Amanda," Stephan protested. "That's not fair to you! You didn't plan this; they _forced you_ into a pregnancy! Do you really think you're ready for something this monumental? We don't even know who the baby is related to! For all we know, it could be some horrible experiment that kills you and—"

"Stephan," she spat angrily. "It's not fair to the _baby_ , either. If it started out as an experiment, I certainly won't treat it as one!"

Stephan held his hands up, but didn't say anything further.

Amanda looked at Dr. McCoy again, this time with a kinder face than what she'd given Stephan a few seconds prior. "Is there any way to tell who this baby's related to? Like, a DNA test to see…?"

"I'm afraid that information is unknown," the older mutant said. "At least until you are almost done with your first trimester."

"Amanda," Kurt said softly. "Are you certain? This is a life-changing decision."

"By the time this actually happens, Kurt, we'll both be graduated and full-fledged adults." Amanda took his hand and smiled. "I'm old enough to decide what's right, and even if this baby isn't really…even if its origins are fuzzy, I still…"

Stephan saw a new Amanda already. Just a few minutes ago, she'd looked nearly dead with a terrible sickness. Now…Now she almost had a glow to her. Sudden motherhood had immediately changed her, and he could see the difference. His little sister was already in protective-mode, and the baby wasn't even _visible_ yet!

"Amanda," he said slowly. "I know you want what's right for the baby, and even if it's not a legitimate one…I can totally get behind you keeping it anyway. You're the one carrying it, so I can't tell you not to if you want to keep it. But…there's just one problem with this plan."

"What's that?" she asked, her eyes growing dangerously cold.

"How are you going to explain this to Mom and Dad?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I would appreciate it if you guys didn't start arguing about abortion. I know it's a touchy subject. Here's my view on it: In situations like Amanda's (obviously not exactly like hers, but you get my meaning) it should be up to the mother if an abortion should happen, especially this early in. That's what I believe. Please don't start rambling about why abortion is wrong, or even why it is the best possible solution every time. I don't want to hear it, and neither does anyone else.**_

 _ **On that note, yay! Amanda's preggers! Some of you saw that coming, but now it's official.**_

 _ **And the new bamf gets a name! That took me way too long to think up, honestly. It just sort of landed on Ludwig and I was like "Fine, there it is."**_

 _ **And a shout-out to Pickles, who just stole a red hat. Anyone catch that minor detail pointing to the current X-Men's red-hat-wearing Pickles? No?**_

 _ **This series is going to come in two parts. The first is almost over, which is Kurt getting his father and Amanda getting pregnant, along with that mysterious thing happening in the FOH labs coming to light. Part two will consist of more family fluff between Kurt and Azazel, and Kurmanda+baby, and the FOH makes a serious comeback against the X-Men! So, don't go away! Part One is almost finished!**_

 _ **Last note: If my German is incorrect, especially in sentence form, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'll fix it right away :)**_


	15. IMPORTANT UPDATE (MUST READ)

**_To my faithful, and sometimes hateful, readers,_**

 ** _No. My stories are NOT up for adoption, and they are NOT abandoned._**

 ** _I've decided to take a hiatus from posting here until I get my writing life back together. I hate to be THIS author, but it's time I said something. I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting, and I'm sorry to be doing this, but my life comes first._**

 ** _Guess what? Fanfiction is a hobby, not a job._**

 ** _To the guest who tells me to kill myself because I'm not updating weekly: Keep telling me that. I actually enjoy those reviews now. They make me smile, because they honestly don't bother me. I'm not being sarcastic, either._**

 ** _Your anonymity makes you feel important, and you think posting that a hundred times will make it seem like a hundred different people are telling me to kill myself. Well, it doesn't. I cannot say it doesn't affect me, because if it didn't I wouldn't be calling you out or replying to your nonsense._**

 ** _What I can say is it doesn't make me—a grown-ass adult in the FUCKING MILITARY—want to kill myself. Hmm, what hurts more? A reprimand from a higher-ranked sailor and/or officer, or the cute little anonymous guest who thinks they deserve everything on a silver platter?_**

 ** _It's definitely not the latter._**

 ** _So, once again, I apologize for the unannounced hiatus. I informed one person already on Tumblr, but never told you guys. I'm still writing, but too slowly to post. I can't keep you guys sitting and waiting forever with no word. So, please look elsewhere for entertainment until I feel ready to post again._**

 ** _MY STORIES ARE NOT ABANDONED. MY STORIES ARE NOT UP FOR ADOPTION. THIS INFORMATION WILL NOT CHANGE WITHOUT AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY ME IN AUTHORS NOTES AND ON MY PROFILE. IF EVER I DECIDE TO ADOPT A STORY I WILL TELL YOU ALL ON MY PROFILE AND ON THAT STORY'S LATEST CHAPTER.  
_**

 ** _If anyone claims to be the new 'owner' of my stories and I have not told you in the described manner, report them immediately and PM me._**

 ** _Sincerely yours,_**

 ** _Winekita_**


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